Of Life and Arrangements
by Luna Silvereyes
Summary: Secrets can be dangerous. Kaiba knows this better than anyone. But as of now, he hasn't met an enigma quite like Sonja Gavens. Just what darkened past is she hiding and why does she put her trust in him, of all people?
1. Transfer Student

Of Life and Arrangements

Luna Silvereyes

A/N: This is my first ever Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic. I'm not much into it anymore as I used to be, and I never was that good of a duelist. But I'm going to try to pull this off. The idea just hit me and unfortunately, much sleep will be lost for the cause. This story is actually similar to another I'm writing for InuYasha. Only my main OC isn't handicapped here. Just snappy and able to stand up to Kaiba's insults. I kind of want to see if I can convert bad-guy Kaiba into somewhat of a different person. It's gonna be tough, that's for sure. I will try and put some dueling scenes in, and please forgive any spelling errors. The monster names aren't exactly easy. Neither are trap and magic cards.

Transfer Student

The bell rang, signaling the beginning to first period at Domino High School. In one classroom on the eastern side of the building, a small group of kids gathered around a spiky-haired kid sitting at a desk sorting through a deck of cards. A girl with short brown hair knelt down beside the desk. " Wow, Yugi, you've got some good ones, there." She exclaimed.

" Thanks, Tea." Yugi replied. " I do miss Exodia, though. My Grandpa gave me those cards, they were special to me."

Tea recalled that incident perfectly well. Aboard the boat to Duelist Kingdom to face Pegasus and free Yugi's grandfather.

//ooo//

_" I hear you are the one who possesses the fabled Exodia cards." Weevil Underwood cackled at Yugi who was busy putting his cards away. Yugi glanced up. " Yes. I am." _

_" C-Could I please, hold them, for a second?" _

_Yugi handed him the cards. " Okay. But be careful with them." _

_Once in his hand, Weevil turned and started out onto the deck. Concerned, Yugi and his friends followed. Weevil gazed wickedly at the cards, snickering. _

_" I believe I've finally figured out a way to defeat the legendary Exodia." He hissed. Then, with a glance at Yugi, he threw his arm out and hurled all five over the side of the ship. _

_" Say goodbye to Exodia!" _

//ooo//

" Grrr!" a blond kid beside Yugi growled. " I still haven't forgotten what that Weevil creep did that to your cards!! That wormy little punk!"

Yugi sighed. " Well, it isn't like it wasn't the only strategy I had, you know. I still have my favorite, at least. The Dark Magician."

He held up a card with a picture of a sorcerer dressed in purple with a green staff in hand.

" Yeah." A brown haired boy leaning on the desk agreed. " But Joey's right. We should have pounded that little insect into the hull of the ship. That was uncalled for."

" Don't worry about it, Tristan." Yugi said, putting his deck back together. He tapped them on the desktop to align them and then placed them in his pocket.

" The past is over and done with. We stopped Pegasus, saved my Grandpa and now things are back as they should be. There's nothing to worry about, now."

Joey looked up suddenly, an angry expression crossing his face as he stared at the door. " Except one." He said. " You forgot about him."

All eyes turned to the door as a taller person with dark brown hair and cold blue eyes sidled in, taking a seat at the far end of the room. Apparently, he didn't seem to notice them.

" Yeah." Tristan said darkly. " Kaiba. The guy you whooped in your first duel. I don't believe he's gotten over it, yet. Doubt he ever will."

" Yeah." Joey commented. " And he still hasn't thanked us for getting him outta that virtual world he was trapped in a couple of weeks ago."

As they watched, he took out a textbook, leafed through it and pulled a piece of paper out from between the pages, setting it on the desk and then ignoring it as he stared at the clock. It was almost time for class.

Yugi raised an eyebrow at him. " That's weird." He mumbled.

" What?" Tea asked.

" He looks really tired today." Yugi remarked. They all looked over at Kaiba again. As strange as it seemed, it was true. Tristan made a noise of confusion.

" Huh? Usually he's firing rapid insults at us. Today, his eyes aren't even open all the way. What's the deal?"

" He must have been working late." Yugi said. " I guess it takes a lot of energy to run that big company."

" Yeah, whatever. Or maybe he was making a list of more evil things to say to us. That could be it." Joey said, his eyes going wild. Tea crossed her arms and sighed. " You are something else, Joey Wheeler." She grumbled.

At that moment, the teacher walked in and they rapidly took their seats.

" Good morning class." He said. He adjusted his glasses and continued.

" Now, before we begin, I have a special announcement to make. We have a new student transferring into our class again this year."

He turned to the door. " Come on in, now."

Nothing happened. The teacher blinked and leaned to the left a little to see out the door. " I see you. Now please come in. Yes, you." he said again.

The whole class watched the door, anticipating the new arrival. Even Kaiba seemed to be curious as he glanced at the door, but made no other movement.

" Yes, I'm talking to you." The teacher said. " Now don't be shy, just come in. We won't bite."

He laughed at this, and he was the only one who did. There was a small sound of footsteps and the new student finally entered.

" Class, I'd like to introduce you to Sonja Gavens. She transferred in from Daikon High in Osaka. Please, try to make her feel welcome, here."

Sonja was a tall, wiry girl with wavy white hair tied into a high ponytail that reached her shoulder blades and thick bangs hanging down over her almond shaped eyes the color of oak wood. On the band holding her hair back was a large pink dandelion complete with three green leaves. Her hands were extremely thin and looked like those of an old woman, but without the wrinkles. Despite her petite appearance, she had a strong aura surrounding her, as though warning everyone she could get dangerous if she needed to. Rather than looking at any of the students, she stared straight ahead into space, as though not seeing anything in particular.

The teacher cleared his throat. " Sonja, why don't you tell the class a little about yourself?" he asked.

Sonja cast a quick look at him and then faced forward again. But she said nothing. She shook her head. The teacher appeared surprised, but let it go. " Okay, very well. Why don't you find a seat? You may take anything that's open." He said. Without a word, she started forward, passing through the empty isles until she reached an empty seat way in the back by the window. She sat down and set her things on the desk in front of her.

Several students continued to stare at her for a few minutes, even after the teacher began the lesson. Yugi was one of those few. Joey, Tristan and Tea all lost interest after a few seconds, deciding to talk about it at lunch later. Kaiba glared at her a moment and then turned away abruptly.

_Nothing new, Nothing special. Not worth any time._ He thought. This little phrase basically summed up everything that irked him.

//ooo//

Later, at the end of the day, the very same ex-world dueling champion made his way out of the school. He'd heard Yugi and his friends talking about how tired he looked. Normally, he was able to hide that very well. But lately, he had in fact been working for about four extra hours than he normally would and it was starting to take a toll. Lately some new shipments had come in and somehow, the order forms had been botched up—big time. It then became his job to salvage them and rewrite them to fit the orders and the shipping addresses. That meant hunting down the files of each manufacturer and their global locations and system data. This in itself was time-consuming enough. So only two hours of sleep a night was beginning to wear him down and he wasn't stupid; he knew the results of lack of energy: Failing. Something he would not allow himself to do, under any circumstance whatsoever.

_I should have them fixed by this evening._ He thought to himself. _Maybe I'll have enough time to work on my virtual gaming simulator. _

He passed Yugi and company standing outside and discussing their cards. Ordinarily, he'd go over and rile up that Wheeler kid for some dry amusement. But now, he didn't even feel like doing that. Now he knew he was in serious lack of energy. He knew it was bad if he didn't feel like bugging Wheeler.

They didn't even notice his presence. So he just continued on.

He turned a corner around by the back of the school building to go to the street where his driver would find him.

A sudden commotion met his ears coming off to the left. Curious, he turned and made his way over, stopping behind a tree and glancing carefully at the scene before him.

" What?" he exclaimed.

It was the new girl, Sonja, he believed her name was. Two boys from class four had cornered her by the wall, teasing and taunting her.

" New arrival, and we're the welcoming committee." A thick blond one sneered. His partner, a thin boy with fuzzy brown hair laughed, a high, annoying laugh. Sonja was glaring at both of them, her fists clenched and her legs spread apart in a defensive pose. " Just go away and I won't have to hurt you." She warned. This made the two of them crack up as they doubled over.

" _You_ hurt _us_?" the blond one exclaimed, still cackling. " That'll be the day!"

The fuzzy one stepped forward and grasped her chin in one hand. " I'll tell you what. You give me a little kiss, and I'll pretend that you never threatened us. How about it, snowball?"

Sonja seemed to consider it and then she smiled a sly, fox-like grin. " Oh sure. How about _this!_"

Fast as greased lightning, she whirled her fist around, slugging him dead in the jaw and knocking him to the ground. Seeing his partner was down, the blond one snarled and charged her. " You little—"

But whatever he was about to call her, Kaiba never heard. She ducked down from his oncoming punch and swung her right leg around beneath him, striking him on the shin and knocking him off-balance. As he fumbled for footing, she leapt back up, brought her arm up and slammed her elbow sharply on his spine, causing him to yelp and fall to the ground, stunned.

As he watched, Sonja knelt down beside the blond one, wrapped her thin hand around his thick throat and applied pressure. He started to choke and gurgle words at her. She said something to him rather quietly, though there was obviously a sense of menace about it, and then stood up, picking up her case and walking away from the scene, acting as though nothing had happened. Instantly, something about her changed. Her face lost all expression, and she seemed to slouch as she made her way away from the school grounds. Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he realized what she was doing.

_She's repelling people by acting like that. _He thought, somewhat impressed. So she wasn't as dimwitted as he'd first believed her to be.

He hummed in thought and turned, going the opposite direction she'd taken. He passed the two boys who'd attacked and fallen victim to her. The blond one was still stunned, but the fuzzy one was sitting up, rubbing his jaw painfully. Kaiba pretended to have just arrived. " What happened to you dweebs?" he grumbled in a voice that suggested he didn't really care, he was just asking for his benefit.

The fuzzy one groaned as he tapped his jaw. She'd socked him pretty hard.

" Ugh. Nofing you need tuh know." He said clumsily. Kaiba found himself amused when he realized this kid was embarrassed that he'd gotten beat-up by the new girl. He smirked at the kid.

" Have you met the new girl?" he sneered. The kid gave him the ugliest look and got to his feet, walking away rather quickly. Kaiba chuckled, and turned away. He still had those files to worry about, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

He returned to the place he always waited at and found his driver was already there. He got inside the car and pulled the door shut.

" You're a tad, late, sir." His driver said.

" I left something behind." Kaiba said quickly. Nothing more was said on the matter.

As the car sped along the road, he stared out the window, thinking about those files waiting to be sorted out in his office.

They passed the local elementary school. Just before it got out of sight, he spotted Sonja making her way inside. He knew it was her from her white hair that stood out among a sea of dark and brown. He vaguely wondered what she was doing there. But the thought left his mind and he focused on other, more important things.

//ooo//

A few hours later, Kaiba sat at his desk, working on those cursed files. He only had about thirteen to go. He estimated only five more hours of work on them.

The door to his office opened and his brother bounded in. " Hey, Seto!" he called. " Are you _still_ working on those shipping forms?"

" Yes. I don't want to be disturbed." He said as calmly as he could. Mokuba didn't know the half of the actual problem, so there was no sense snapping if he could help it. His brother had recently turned twelve and was working his way toward the high school.

Mokuba sat down on the couch several feet away and switched on a program, making sure to keep the volume low so his brother could work. He glanced over. " Seto, you haven't been looking well, lately. Are you getting enough rest?" he asked.

" Yes, Mokuba." Kaiba said absentmindedly. Mokuba knew he hadn't really heard him and rolled his eyes, turning back to the television. He had something he wanted to ask his brother, but it would have to wait until he took a break. That could be awhile.

" Just don't make yourself sick with this, Seto. Even you need sleep." He said.

_That_ Kaiba heard. " I know." He said. " However, I have priorities, and this comes first."

" So your health doesn't?" Mokuba joked, leaning on the back of the couch and grinning. Kaiba made a face and resumed his work.

After awhile, he sat back and rubbed his eyes wearily. Mokuba took this chance. " Hey, Seto." He said.

" What is it?"

" I wanted to ask you. I made a friend at school today. Can we hang out here after school tomorrow?"

Kaiba considered this a minute. It had been awhile since Mokuba had had any real friends at school, mainly because he didn't like most of the kids because they didn't like him.

" Fine." He said. " Just don't get into trouble."

" Great! Thanks, bro!" Mokuba exclaimed happily. " Tomorrow?"

" Sure."

Mokuba fell silent then, having asked what he needed to and knowing his brother would want to finish with those files as soon as possible. He changed the channel and folded his arms, thinking about his new friend and planning what they should do tomorrow.

A/N: Okay, this story is up and running. Now, unlike with 'The First Legacy', this story is already complete. I've been working on it for months and I'm now working on its sequel. I will update once a week or so to give myself to time to complete the sequel so I don't make you wait so long, this time. Hope you enjoyed and drop me a review if you like.


	2. Sonja's Book

A/N: Here's the promised update for those of you actually reading this story. It isn't as popular as The First Legacy was, but I'm just as proud of it as I was the pre-mentioned.

Sonja's Book

School the following day was normal, as usual. Everyone gathered in the classroom for first period. Kaiba felt a little less exhausted than he had. He'd finished the files late the previous evening. So he was right back to angering Wheeler as before.

He approached Yugi's desk as they were working on a strategy for Joey.

" Okay." Joey said. " I place one card face down and summon Alligator Sword in defense mode."

" Very good, Wheeler." Kaiba said. " Keep that up and soon you'll be able to defeat a kindergartener."

Joey growled and jumped up. " Hey! Watch it, Kaiba! I may just challenge you to a duel, tough guy!"

" Ooh, I'm so scared." Kaiba said snippily as he made his way to his desk, ignoring Joey yelling at him that he should be.

" Well," Yugi said. " I see he's feeling better."

" I knew some things were too good to last." Joey grumbled.

" Hey guys," Tristan said. " Look, over there."

They all turned to the back of the room. Sonja was sitting in her desk as usual, but this time, she had a deck of cards in her hand.

" Duel Monsters." Yugi exclaimed.

" I guess she's a duelist." Tea said.

" Come on, let's go see." Tristan said, starting over.

At the word, 'duelist', Kaiba carefully glanced back at the new girl. She did in fact have a deck of Duel Monster cards in her hands and was shuffling through them, a look of concentration on her face. He watched as Yugi and his friends approached her desk.

_Hmm. So she's also a duelist. This should be interesting. _ He thought to himself.

Sonja looked up as they all came over. Instantly, her face became stony and defensive. " Stay away." She barked.

" Hey, we only wanted to see how good of a duelist you are." Yugi said. "I think there's enough time."

Sonja looked away. " I'm…I'm not a duelist." She said.

" But you have a deck of Duel Monster cards, there." Tea said. " You must be."

Sonja looked down at them. " I…I don't duel." She murmured.

" Why not?" Tristan asked. Her eyes flamed. " I just don't!" she yelled, jumping up and slamming her hands down on the desk. She sat back down and resumed sorting through her cards.

" You can tell us." Yugi said. She gave him the 'evil eye', but said nothing. Everyone looked up as slow footsteps approached.

" Oh great." Joey growled, suddenly. Kaiba stopped beside the desk and stared down at the cards she held. She glared up at him. " What?" she snapped. " If it's about my dueling skills, I don't duel."

" Is that so?" he replied, his eyes narrowing. " Mind if I have a look at your cards?"

This took them all by surprise. Yugi frowned. Did Kaiba consider Sonja to be competition like he did him? Or was she going to end up like Joey in his eyes. Either way, it was bad for her.

" Sure." She grumbled, handing him her deck. He fanned the cards out, examining them closely. Yugi was shocked to see a look of surprise come onto Kaiba's face, but he said nothing. Sonja chewed her pen tip.

He set her deck back down. " Not bad. But still pathetic." He said. Tea nudged Yugi and pointed to Sonja. Her eyes had gone wide and she was grinding her teeth.

" What?" she growled.

" You may have an even number of trap, magic and monster cards in there, but I doubt you have a single strategy worth putting together."

He started to walk away. Sonja suddenly stood up, snatched her deck and cut him off before he could get back to his seat. Everyone looked up, including the teacher who had just walked in. Everyone fell silent as the tension filled the air. Sonja glared up at him, meeting his cold stare. She raised herself to her full height, almost able to look him directly in the eye. " Who are you?" she snapped.

" What's it to you? Step aside." He said. He made to go around her, but she held her arm out, blocking his path. " No. Tell me what your name is." She said, her voice dangerously low.

" Fine. Seto Kaiba." He replied, somewhat grudgingly.

" Good. You already know who I am. I challenge you to a duel after school. Seven-thirty, sharp."

" Why seven-thirty?" he asked, thinking she'd want it to be directly after school. She glanced away. " I…have errands to run. Seven-thirty. If the rumors about you are true, you won't back out. How about it?" she said, her eyes turning steely. They stared at each other for several moments before Kaiba hummed and nodded. " Very well. You'll come to the KaibaCorp. Headquarters and we'll use one of the dueling arenas. But let me warn you, you have no idea who you're dealing with, kid." He sneered at her. She said nothing, but her face had lost all expression once again. This lack of any sort of emotion, especially fear disturbed him somewhat. Just who was this girl?

" Good." She said. " I'll be there. You can bet on it."

She shoved past him roughly and sat down again, facing the window. After Kaiba had taken his seat again, whispers started running wild through the classroom.

" Can you believe it? She challenged Kaiba!"

" I know, the once-renowned duelist champion of the world!

" She's got no hope!"

The teacher rapped his ruler on his desk. " Um, settle down, class, settle down. I know this may have caused a bit of excitement, but we're still in school. Um, Miss Gavens, Mister Kaiba, if you could please leave dueling outside of school, I'd greatly appreciate it."

" Sure, whatever." Sonja grumbled.

" Humph. If you say so." Kaiba mumbled. He was quite angry that she'd dared to challenge him like that, as though she were the superior. He found he was looking forward to that evening's duel so that he could show her who was truly superior.

He glanced over at her. She was pretending to study, but actually leafing through a beat-up brown book. He was stunned to see a peaceful, if even happy expression on her normally darkened face as she read through it. He watched as she took up her pen and scribbled something down into the pages and then shut the book. For the rest of class after that, she seemed in much better spirits.

He faced forward again in time to hear his name being called to answer a question. With barely a thought to the answer he already knew, he replied in monotone, " Astrophysics."

//ooo//

Finally, the day ended, signaling the weekend. After his usual harassment of Wheeler and the usual meaningless challenges, he felt a little more on track. But before he could leave, Yugi and Tea came up.

" You're actually going to duel Sonja?" Yugi asked.

" Yeah, I heard a strange rumor about her from someone in class three." Tea said.

" Like I really care about rumors and nonsense like that." Kaiba said. " It takes skill and power to win a duel, not rumors and intimidation. If you'd like to come see your friend's defeat, you know the arena already." He said with a smirk. It was the same arena where Yugi's grandfather had lost his duel to him. But it was also the same arena where Kaiba had then lost to Yugi.

" But don't you even want to know what it was?" Tea asked. He pretended to ignore her. She sighed and turned to her friends. " I wonder how this'll turn out." She said.

" I don't know." Yugi answered. " What was that rumor you heard?"

" I talked to Sachiko Hayase in class three. Her cousin is from Osaka. He told her that a strange duelist kept appearing out there, and attacking random duelists."

" What's so strange about that?" Joey asked, coming up behind them. " I hear about stuff like that all the time."

" This is different." Tea said, shaking her head. " Sachiko told me that this duelist would challenge the victim to a duel. It would go smoothly up until a certain point, and then, the stranger would pull a certain move that wiped out all of each of their Lifepoints, resulting in a tie. Then, the victim would be knocked out and a single card would be missing from their decks. Never a good one, but never a bad one either. They could never figure it out." She said, shrugging.

" So you're saying," Tristan said. " That Sonja might be that mysterious duelist?"

" No way." Joey stepped in. " She said she didn't duel! Why would she go around challenging people and taking cards from their deck after causing a tie?"

Yugi frowned and stared at the ground. " I don't know about this. If she doesn't duel, then why did she challenge Kaiba to one? And why so late this evening?"

They all fell silent. " Those errands she talked of." Tea suggested.

" But what are they?" Yugi countered. Joey growled to himself. " I say we take Kaiba up on his offer and go watch the duel tonight! Sonja may be a little cold, but we can be there and support her, right? I mean, we all hate Kaiba anyway!"

Tea sighed. " Joey, _you_ hate Kaiba. We simply dislike him." She said.

" Oh sure, turn against me!" Joey yelled as they turned around and started off.

//ooo//

Kaiba made his way to the street to wait for his driver as usual. He passed the place where Sonja had beat up those two boys the day before. He was surprised to see she was there again, sitting against the wall with her case beside her and the brown book in her hands, reading through it carefully. Curious, he turned and started over. She didn't seem to notice him until he was right beside her.

" What are you doing here?" he grumbled. She jumped and slammed her book shut. " Don't you know better than to go around scaring the heck out of people?" she yelled, jumping to her feet in a seemingly effortless movement.

He simply gave her a look of contempt and walked away, back toward the road. She glared at his retreating back and whirled, heading a different direction.

By the time he turned around again to see if she was still there, she'd vanished.

When his driver arrived, he barely realized it as he got in and waited until they arrived at the main building. His mind was too preoccupied with tonight's duel.

//ooo//

Kaiba arrived back in his office a half-hour later to find Mokuba and his new friend were already there. The kid was wearing a blue and green baseball cap so he couldn't directly see his features. Mokuba turned around while debating with his friend on what to watch. " Oh, hey bro! Welcome back!" he called. The kid turned around, knocking the cap off in the process. It fell to the floor behind the couch and they both watched it for a minute.

" Whoops." His friend, who turned out to be a girl said. She had turquoise hair shorn just below her ears and maroon eyes. She glanced up at him and nodded respectfully. " Hello, sir." She said.

_At least she's respectful._ Kaiba thought as he sat down at his desk and opened his laptop. While he waited for it to load, he turned to his brother.

" Everything remained under control, right?" he said. Mokuba nodded.

" Yep. Sophie and I just watched TV. Oh, right! I forgot to introduce her! Seto, this is my new friend Sophie."

Sophie waved. " Pleased to meet you, Mr. Kaiba." She said. " Mokuba told me a lot about you. He said you're the best duelist in the world."

Kaiba hummed in reply.

" Is it true you own three Blue Eyes White Dragons?" Sophie asked, wide-eyed. He nodded.

" Woah!! Cool! Those things are so darn rare, it's scary!"

Kaiba hummed again and glanced at his computer screen as the KaibaCorp. Logo appeared. He typed in the entry password and waited again. His computer was beginning to run low on memory. He'd have to get an upgrade soon if he wanted to avoid a crash.

" Mokuba." He said. His brother turned, along with Sophie. " Yeah?"

" I was challenged to a duel earlier today by a classmate. It's at seven-thirty. Are you planning on going down to the arena?"

" Yeah! Why wouldn't I?"

" If it's me you're worried about," said Sophie. " My sister's coming to pick me up in a bit. I think you'll both like her. She's the sweetest person in the world. And she's pretty good at dueling. She whoops me every time."

Mokuba laughed. " That's how it is when I duel Seto." He joked. " I can never beat him."

Kaiba vaguely listened to their conversation. He was secretly glad that Mokuba had made a friend, despite what he'd told him years ago that you could trust no one. Apparently, Mokuba felt he could trust this Sophie girl.

" Hey, Seto!" Mokuba called. " When is your duel again?"

" At seven-thirty." He repeated. Mokuba looked at Sophie. " Do you think you can stay and watch? My brother's a great duelist! It'd be over in no time."

Sophie nodded. " I'm sure my sister will want to. She's always loved to watch duels broadcast on TV. We may have seen your brother duel occasionally." She explained. She lifted her wrist and checked her watch. " She should be here anytime."

At that precise second, the speaker on the door buzzed.

" _Mr. Kaiba._"

Kaiba raised his head from a shipping invoice on his desk. " Yes?"

" _There's a girl here to pick someone up. She won't tell us her name." _

" Oh!" Cried Sophie. " That's my sister! She's a little shy around strangers."

" Send her up." Kaiba said. He returned to work. The elevator on the other side of the door started its ascent and Kaiba watched it absently. Sophie got up and went over, waiting. Mokuba stood a few feet away, leaning against his brother's desk. The door opened and someone stepped out. Kaiba's eyes widened and he leapt up.

" It's you!" he yelled.

A/N: Now, for those of you who can spot hard-to-see things, you'll probably notice a few plot errors in here. This is because during the first several days working on this, I wasn't sure where the story was going. However, I've managed to make it all make sense. I think.


	3. The Duel

A/N: Sorry I updated so late today. I've been bedridden with a horrible flu all weekend. For the first day or so, the only thing that could distract me was talking to Kinkatia whenever I could, watching _Scooby Doo_ and _A Christmas Carol_ on my laptop. I was surprised I was able to update. Anyways, here's to those of you who still read my work.

The Duel

Sonja froze and backed up a step, glaring at Kaiba. " You!" she exclaimed in horror. " Don't I have to see you enough during school?"

" That was my sentiment exactly." Kaiba said, his eyes narrowing. Mokuba and Sophie followed this obvious argument with a sense of panic growing. Sophie hurried over to Sonja. " Sis, what's the matter?"

Sonja glanced down at Sophie. " Sophie, what are you doing here?"

" My new friend, Mokuba invited me. I told you where I'd be."

Sonja looked over at Mokuba, standing quietly and watching.

" Are you related to him?" she asked Mokuba, pointing at Kaiba.

" Uh, yeah." Mokuba stammered. " He's my older brother."

At that, Sonja scowled and grasped Sophie's arm. " Come on. We're going home. I have to get ready." She growled.

" Ready for what?" Sophie cried, utterly confused.

" Hold on a minute!" Kaiba snapped. Sonja paused and turned around. " I think that anything you wish to discuss can be debated at tonight's duel." She said.

" Duel!?" Mokuba and Sophie both yelled. Mokuba looked at his brother.

" Seto, you're dueling Sophie's older sister?" he exclaimed in shock.

" Apparently." Kaiba replied. Sophie looked at Sonja. " Is this true, sis?" she whispered. Sonja nodded. " Yeah. Tonight at seven-thirty."

Sophie whirled to face the two brothers. " What's going on!" she cried.

Kaiba went around to the front of his desk, still glowering at Sonja.

" Your sister here challenged me to a duel this morning." He explained. " I don't back down from challenges, and I'm not about to start now."

Mokuba stared in dismay at his brother and then at Sophie. " I'm sorry, Sophie." He mumbled. Sophie smiled. " It's okay. We're still friends."

" Are you kidding?" Sonja yelled. " Like I'd allow that. Come on."

Sophie screamed as Sonja dragged her to the elevator. " Kaiba, as of this moment, I forbid Sophie to have any contact with her ex-friend."

" Fine with me." He replied as the doors shut. He turned and faced the window, staring out at the city blankly. He was aware of Mokuba glaring at him.

" How could you do this, Seto?" he cried. " I finally make a friend and because of a dumb rivalry you have with her sister, now we can't _be_ friends anymore!"

" That was not my decision Mokuba." He retaliated calmly. " I hold no grudge against the girl, so therefore, it doesn't matter to me. You'd have to take it up with her sister."

Mokuba sighed and sat down on the couch, staring into space. " So now I know your opponent." He mumbled. " And now, for the first time, I don't know whether to support you or not."

Kaiba gasped slightly at this, but said nothing.

//ooo//

Sophie walked sadly behind her sister as they went home. She couldn't believe it. Not only had Sonja forbidden her to be friends with Mokuba, she'd become bitter enemies with his older brother and was going to duel him that evening.

Could things get any worse from here?

" Sophie, what would you like to eat, tonight?" Sonja asked.

" I'm not hungry."

" Why not?" Sonja asked again as they reached the building where they lived over a small store underneath. Sophie stared up at her sister. " Sonja, you should eat, though. It may be your last meal." She grumbled, climbing up the stairs on the outside of the building. Sonja cocked an eyebrow. " Huh?"

" Sonja, Mr. Kaiba will destroy you in that match. I won't let you duel him!" she cried, whirling around. Sonja sighed and shook her head. " Sophie, I challenged him. I'll look like a fool if I back out now." She said. Sophie shook her head. " He seems nice. I don't know why you hate him." She said. Then, she ran up the stairs and into their home, slamming the door behind her. Sonja stared out at the water where the sun was setting over the ocean. She sighed.

" I doubt he is, Sophie." She whispered.

//ooo//

Yugi, Tea, Joey and Tristan all sat inside the card shop Solomon Moto owned. He'd given them each a glass of chilled tea and leaned on the counter as they discussed what had happened earlier that day. Solomon Moto knew Seto Kaiba all-too-well, for the man had once ripped Solomon's treasured and rare Fourth Blue Eyes White Dragon in half after winning their duel. He'd taped it back together, but it would never be the same.

" So let me get this straight." He said. " A new girl in your class, who knew virtually nothing about Kaiba, outright challenged him to a duel? Is that correct?"

Yugi nodded. " Yeah, Grandpa. And we can't talk her out of it. The duel is in an hour and we're all nervous."

" Why's that?" Solomon asked. Tristan stepped in. " Sonja openly told us she didn't duel. So it's kinda foolish to challenge a master when you're not even a rookie."

Solomon scratched his chin thoughtfully. " You know, maybe there was a different meaning behind her words." He said. " You said she 'didn't duel', correct?"

" Uh-huh." Tristan said. Solomon nodded wisely, folding his arms. " Then that's just it. She doesn't duel." He concluded.

" That doesn't make any sense." Joey said irritably. " She can't duel, so what's the point of challenging that guy?"

" No, Joey." Solomon interrupted. " I didn't say she couldn't duel, I said she doesn't duel."

Yugi's eyes went wide. " Oh, I get it! She just doesn't duel. It might be like she used to, but decided to stop."

Solomon nodded once again, smiling broadly. " Smart thinking, Yugi." He complimented.

" But then, if she did, does that mean the rumor Sachiko told me is true and she is that mysterious duelist from Osaka? The one who trapped duelists and ended every battle in a tie?" Tea asked.

" I don't know, Tea. I talked to Sachiko, too." Joey said. " She said she never said anything about ties. That's too difficult to scheme and it would take strictly precise cards. If that predator were to lose just one card, they'd lose their whole strategy. Sachiko told me that the attacker uses specific cards to win."

" What are those?" Yugi asked.

" She said a few of them are cards like Flash Assailant, Cyber Falcon, and a rare trap called Skull's Invitation. Those were reported apparently by a duelist who was attacked and remembered some of the cards used against him."

" Cyber Falcon?" Yugi said. " That's a weak monster. I wonder if there's a reason behind it."

Joey shrugged. " Whatever the reason, if Sonja is this mysterious duelist, then everyone will be out looking for her. She's infamous, or so it seems."

Tea gave him a funny look. " How is you know so much more than Sachiko probably told you?" she said sweetly. Joey froze, seeming to rack his brain for answers.

" I watch a lot of news!! Okay!?" He yelled. Tea sighed and shook her head. " But even if she is that mysterious duelist, she still won't stand a chance against Kaiba." She said worriedly.

" Why don't you all go and watch the duel?" Solomon suggested. " Let her know there are people supporting her."

" Sure." Yugi said. " I don't really know what this will be like, but if it helps any, we're there."

" All right! We'll make sure Sonja sends him into next week!" Joey exclaimed, throwing his fists into the air. Yugi smiled and closed his eyes, contacting the spirit.

//ooo//

_It was misty as Yugi made his way through the dark realm toward where the Spirit's energy was strongest. Gradually, his alter-ego came into view and turned around. _

_" Hello, Yugi." He said in greeting. _

_" Hey." Yugi replied. " I came to tell you that—"_

_" I know, not to interrupt. I heard what you were saying, and what happened at your school. So the new girl has challenged Kaiba to a duel." _

_" Yeah. It's in an hour and we're all going to support her. I'm sure you'll be there." Yugi said with a laugh. The Spirit nodded, smiling. " I'm always near, Yugi. Without a doubt I will be there." _

_" Great." Yugi said in agreement._

//ooo//

Sonja was wearing a long black skirt and a white blouse that reached the top of her chest with the sleeves attached to the sides and going down to wrist. At her neck, she'd fastened a luck charm, a black ribbon choker necklace with a Yin-Yang symbol. She'd made the necklace herself. Her white hair was in the same style it had been earlier. But instead of the pink dandelion she'd had, she'd replaced it with a couple of Bluebells.

She studied herself in the shop window to make sure she wouldn't attract too much attention. Even though she hated the guy, she believed in making a good first impression and a duel was no exception. Sophie stood by staring forlornly at the ground, wearing a pink skort and white top with a pink butterfly logo and a pair of heart earrings on.

" I don't want you to go through with this, Sonja." She mumbled. Sonja knelt down, placing a hand on her shoulder. " Sophie, _I_ challenged _Kaiba_. I won't lose. I promise. Am I, or am I not a good duelist?"

" You are, but—"

" But nothing, Sophie. I will win this duel. I will show him who's the better duelist."

Sophie squeezed her eyes shut. " But don't you even remember what happened last time?" she cried. Sonja paused and her hand clutching her deck shook.

" I'll be fine, Sophie." She assured her again, but more to assure herself this time. It was true, she hadn't forgotten.

But she wasn't about to let it get to her.

_I'll crush you, Seto Kaiba, and then you'll see that you never mess with Sonja Gavens. Never._

//ooo//

Kaiba slowly made his way down to the dueling arena. It was finally time. He was a little early, but it didn't matter. The duel was at seven-thirty and it was seven-fifteen. He had about fifteen more minutes.

Mokuba had already gone down to the arena, the same one where Kaiba had defeated Yugi's grandfather, and had then lost to Yugi himself. He knew he had to defeat Yugi in order to reclaim his position in the dueling world. But there was nothing wrong with crushing a new opponent for practice. And whether she knew it or not, that was what Sonja was going to be.

Practice.

The elevator opened and he stepped inside, pressing the ground-floor button and waiting. As he started his descent, he planned his strategy for the hundredth time. His first priority was to get his Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the field as soon as possible and then wipe out her Lifepoints with a couple of well-placed attacks. He figured it shouldn't be too hard. He'd heard Sonja say she didn't duel. That likely meant that she had never been in one her whole life, she just happened to own a deck. The other possible meaning was highly unlikely.

The elevator finally stopped. Kaiba smirked as the doors opened and he stepped out, making his way down the hall toward the dueling arena. He figured Sonja would know her way, seeing she found her sister easily enough. But he couldn't quite place it; there was just something not right about that girl. She seemed so angry and bitter, especially when she challenged him earlier that day. But when she took out that book and started reading it, she seemed calm, peaceful and happy. He frowned as he turned a corner and finally arrived in the dueling arena. He approached the simulator and paused, folding his arms and preparing to wait for his opponent.

Just as he'd expected, the doors opened, but it wasn't Sonja.

It was Yugi and company. Kaiba scowled.

" Why are you dweebs here?" he demanded. Yugi stepped forward. " You told us we were free to watch the duel." He reminded him. " We've come to see Sonja's victory."

Kaiba made a sound of contempt and looked away. " Do you really think that wannabe duelist will defeat me? I may have lost to you, Yugi, but mark my words, I will not allow some rookie from school to get the best of me."

" Speaking of which," Joey said, looking around. " Where's Sonja? Shouldn't she be here?"

" Maybe she got lost." Tea suggested. " She is new here, after all."

" Maybe she chickened out." Tristan said dejectedly.

" Humph. I doubt it." Kaiba said.

A metallic clang echoed down from the dueling platform and they all looked up. A dark head appeared up top and looked down at them all. " Oh, hi everybody." Mokuba said.

" Mokuba?" Tea exclaimed. " What's he doing up there?"

" Mokuba, get down from there." Kaiba called to him. Mokuba sighed and nodded. " Sure." He mumbled. A slight thud sounded and he appeared on the other side of the platform a few minutes later. He went over and propped a door open, glancing around outside. " It's getting dark, Seto. I don't know if she's coming." He said. He sounded depressed.

" Oh, she'll be here." Kaiba insisted. " I can promise you that."

Mokuba hummed and looked out again. His eyes went wide. " Oh! I see her! She's coming." He announced. Everyone but Kaiba hurried to the door.

Sonja and Sophie had arrived. Sonja paused just outside the door, blinking at the amount of people inside.

" You guys are all from class." She remarked. " I didn't know Kaiba had a fan club."

Joey rushed out. " We are NOT his fan club!" he yelled. Sonja frowned and stepped around him. " Get away from me. I want to get this duel over with." She mumbled. She pushed past them. Tea held her back. " Wait, Sonja. Are you sure you want to go through with this? Kaiba's a master duelist. You don't stand a chance against him."

A little girl with turquoise hair hurried up. " She's right, Sonja! Please don't duel! I don't want you to get hurt, again!" she cried. At this, Kaiba, still standing beside the platform, raised an eyebrow in confusion.

" Sophie, I've told you three times. I'll be fine." Sonja said exasperatedly. She turned around, searching for Kaiba. She spotted him several feet away.

" Well? Are you ready?" she called to him.

" I was about to ask you the same thing." He replied. Sonja's face once again lost all expression as she nodded. " I am. Ready to win, that is."

" We'll see about that." Kaiba said, turning to his side of the arena. She didn't reply, but went to her side.

Mokuba had made his way into the second floor announcer's station. Unbeknownst to both combatants, Sophie had gone with him. She stayed just out of sight of both duelers as Mokuba switched on the microphone. He covered it with his hand as he faced his friend. " Listen, you can't say anything until I tell you. If your sister knows you're up here, she may cancel out the duel and leave. I know that neither of our older siblings wants to stop the duel. Are you okay with that?"

" Yeah." Sophie said. " Hopefully, they'll settle their differences with this duel and we can still be friends." She said, smiling. Mokuba nodded and turned to the window, uncovering the microphone.

"_This duel is now underway."_

His voice rang through the arena as both duelists' platforms raised them onto the playing field.

_" In this duel, Seto Kaiba versus Sonja Gavens. Each player starts out with 4000 Lifepoints. First one to zero loses."_

Both players nodded.

" Duel!" they both exclaimed as the duel got under way.

" I'll go first." Kaiba said. He studied his cards.

_Hmm… Not too bad. However, it could be better._

" I place one card face down on the field and summon Ryu-Kishin in defense mode!"

He activated the monster card and it appeared on the field in a defensive position.

" And that's all for now." Kaiba said.

Sonja nodded. " Fine. My turn."

Sonja studied her hand. _This isn't looking to be the best start in the world. I only have one monster, Sacred Crane. Its special effect will allow me to draw one card, but I have to special summon it. And I don't have anything to do that with, so its effect is useless right now. _

She noticed two magic cards in her hand and her eyes widened. _Wait. Soul Release and Soul Absorption. This could be my key to getting an advantage. But I'll have to wait a few turns to use this combo. It wouldn't do any good yet. So, I'll do this. _

Sonja removed one card from her hand. " I also place one card face-down and end my turn!" she declared. " Your move, Kaiba."

" With pleasure." He replied. He drew a card. _Excellent! My Battle Ox can wipe out a couple hundred of her Lifepoints and clear the way for My Blue-Eyes later on._

" I summon Battle Ox, in attack mode!" he announced, summoning his monster to the field. Sonja felt the breath catch in her throat. " Oh no." she whispered. Unfortunately, Kaiba caught it.

" Oh yes!" he retaliated. " Battle Ox! Attack her Lifepoints directly!"

Sonja cried out as his monster struck her, losing her seventeen hundred Lifepoints in the process. She was shaking hard as she opened her eyes and glared at him.

" You won't get away with that." She growled. " Are you done?"

" Yes. Your move." He sneered at her. Sonja let out a hissing breath and picked up her cards.

//ooo//

" This isn't looking too good for Sonja right now." Yugi said to his friends. They were all watching the duel from down on the ground.

" Yeah." Joey agreed. " The duel just started and she's already lost seventeen hundred Lifepoints. If she doesn't get a monster up there soon, Kaiba will wipe her out."

Tristan was studying a piece of paper. Tea and Yugi glanced over at him.

" What's that Tristan? Don't tell me you're finally doing your homework." Tea teased. He stuck his tongue out at her and looked up at the duel. " No, this is actually a list of cards reported to the police force in Osaka."

" You mean cards that that mysterious duelist used?" Yugi exclaimed.

" Yeah. I got it online. If she uses too many of the cards on this list in a certain order, then it proves that Sonja was that duelist from Osaka and we'd have rights to turn her in if we wanted to. She'd be forced to show her deck and dueling skills."

" Tristan, that's stupid. We're not going to turn her in." Tea snapped.

" I know that. I just wanted to clarify." Tristan replied in defense.

" What are some of the cards in there?" Joey asked.

" One is a really rare card called Paralyzing Potion. When it was first made, it was declared too powerful and production of it stopped, but not before several hundred were released to the public. Now, there isn't that many left of that original number, but it says that that duelist had one. If she brings one out, it might just be Sonja who attacked all of those duelists."

//ooo//

Sonja took a shaky breath and drew a card. She'd never dueled like this before. She'd never felt anything even close. It was too real, and it was tiring. She realized she was attempting to beat Kaiba at his own invention.

She studied the card she held.

_Dang it. I needed something good. Riryoku Field won't help me now. I have no monsters on the field for Kaiba to attack with any magic cards. But I have to do something, otherwise, I'm sunk. Well, I do have two Sacred Cranes. I'll just summon this one and hope that I get the second one sometime soon._

" All right. I summon Sacred Crane, in defense mode!" she exclaimed. " I also place one card face-down and end my turn."

Sonja watched Kaiba carefully as he shook his head. " You know, I'd really feel bad for you, if it weren't for that fact that I couldn't care less!" he called. Sonja growled to herself.

" Just go!"

" As you wish."

He drew a card and grinned. _Ah. A Polymerization card. This will help later on. _

" Are you ready?" he taunted her. " Battle Ox! Destroy her Sacred Crane now!"

" No!" Sonja cried. She grasped the handlebars of her platform as the blast from the attack slammed into her. She gasped sharply and stood up, leaning on the platform and panting hard. " I'll make you pay for that." She rasped. " It's my move." She drew a card.

_Excellent! Luster Dragon # 2! Just what I needed! Now, all I need is a monster to sacrifice for it and I'll be okay. If I can just last this next turn, I might make it._

" I'll end my turn without doing anything." She announced.

" Are you finally admitting that I am the superior duelist?" Kaiba smirked. Sonja grimaced. " No! I'm still adjusting to this new technology." She replied.

" Whatever." He snapped. " It's my move."

He drew a card.

_Hmm. Nothing that will work at the moment. But I can save this for later._

He glanced up. _I could attack her directly once again with my Battle Ox, and I could also switch my Ryu-Kishin into attack mode and deal some more damage. But what fun would it be if I wiped her out in the first few turns? I'm going to win anyway, so I might as well have a little fun in this duel. In the meantime, I'll place this card down, just in case she gets any ideas. _

" I place one card face-down and end my turn." He declared.

" Fine. It's my move." She said. She drew a card.

_Great. It's my Hyozanryu card. It's my favorite dragon monster, but I need two sacrifices to summon it. And he's got two monsters on the field that could easily destroy the Lifepoints I still have. I'm down to my last twenty-three hundred and he still has all of his. I need to think of something fast. _

" All right. I activate the card, Ominous Fortunetelling. This allows me to select one card from your hand per turn. I can guess whether it's a monster, magic or trap card. If I call it right, I inflict seven hundred points of direct damage to your Lifepoints. I choose the card on your far right."

Kaiba separated this card from his hand and held it up, front facing him.

" Go ahead." He said. Sonja frowned at the card. She weighed her chances of victory. She had a one-in-three chance. It could only be one of three types, and even if she lost, she had nothing to lose by doing this. Kaiba had seven hundred points to lose if she guessed correctly.

" I guess…Monster!" she declared finally. Kaiba's scowl deepened and he roughly slipped the card back into his hand. The meter suddenly dropped seven hundred points and Sonja knew she'd guessed correctly.

" All right!" Yugi cried from below. " Kaiba's down to thirty-three hundred Lifepoints. That was a good move."

" Yeah." Joey agreed.

" I don't know guys." Tristan said. " Ominous Fortunetelling is on the list. We still have a long way to go to be sure."

" Yeah, but that's a common trap card." Yugi countered. " So far, it's only coincidence. But you're right, we can't celebrate just yet. Sonja's still in trouble. She has no monsters on the field and one more face-down card.

" It's my move, now!" Kaiba declared. He drew a card.

_Excellent. This is just what I needed. _

" I summon Mystic Horseman in attack mode!"

He placed the card on the field and the monster appeared. Sonja swallowed nervously.

" Next, I activate the magic card, Polymerization to fuse my two creatures together to form Rabid Horseman!"

Sonja shook her head to clear her mind as his new creature appeared on the field. Kaiba laughed. " Lucky for you, my Horseman can't attack until next turn. So you have one more chance to save yourself."

Sonja sighed and placed her hand on her deck. _Please don't let me down, now!_

She drew a card and peeked at it. Her eyes went wide and she sighed in relief. " This is good." She whispered. She opened her eyes, a new determination.

" Kaiba, I'm afraid your Horseman isn't going anywhere. I activate, _Paralyzing potion!_"

" What?" Kaiba and everyone on the ground exclaimed. She placed the magic card on the field. Instantly, the Rabid Horseman rumbled low and froze up, unmoving.

" What have you done to my monster!?" Kaiba yelled.

" I used a rare magic card Paralyzing Potion. It freezes your Horseman in his tracks so he can't attack me for as long as this card remains on the field."

Kaiba frowned angrily at her and stared at his frozen Horseman. " Fine. I have other cards I can easily use to destroy you." He threatened.

//ooo//

" Guys!" Tristan yelled. " That's on here! It's at the very top! Paralyzing Potion!"

" Does that mean she is the duelist after all?" Tea asked worriedly. " She possesses a Paralyzing Potion card?"

" I don't know." Yugi answered. " But in any case, I think that Sonja's making a comeback!"

A/N: Curious now? Believe me, there's a lot more to Sonja than meets the eye. I really hope she stays the way she is. In any case, I feel that this story is a disappointment because hardly anyone is reading it. The First Legacy was a good one, but I suppose switching to Yu-Gi-Oh was going too far out of the way. Kinda disheartening, really.


	4. The Strange New Card

A/N: Okay, this is the second part of the duel scene. I've noticed that several people have been checking out this story, whether they review or not. Even if no reviews come in, I'm happy when people read the story. I worked so hard on this one. I only want it to be appreciated.

The Strange New Card

Sonja seemed to have cheered up slightly after drawing her Paralyzing Potion, unaware that four people now considered her to be a wanted person.

" My turn has ended, Kaiba." She said triumphantly. " It's your move."

Kaiba grimaced and drew a card from his deck. " I switch my Rabid Horseman to defense mode and end my turn." He growled.

_So long as she has that Paralyzing Potion on the field, my Horseman can't attack her. I have to find a way to destroy it, and soon. _

" My move." She said. She reached for a card and closed her eyes.

_Give me something good, please. _

She drew a card. " Perfect! I summon my second Sacred Crane onto the field in defense mode to protect my Lifepoints. And now, I reactivate my Ominous Fortunetelling trap card! I select the center card in your hand!"

Once again, Kaiba removed the card from his hand and held it so that it was facing him. Sonja closed her eyes in thought. " Magic." She said.

Kaiba smirked. " Nope. It's not a magic card." He informed her. She sighed. " Oh well. Your turn."

He drew a card from his deck. _Darn. It's not The Blue-Eyes I was hoping for. But it'll work for this card next turn._

" I summon Saggi The Dark Clown in defense mode and I place one card face-down! And that's all."

Sonja glared at him a moment before drawing a card from her deck.

_Excellent! Ring of Magnetism! If I can just hold out until next turn! But just in case, I'll place this card down and hope for the best. _

" I place one card face-down and switch my Sacred Crane to attack mode. And I end my turn."

Kaiba grinned at this and drew a card from his own deck. " All right. I activate the Trap card, Negative Energy! It lets me strengthen any Dark Monsters by three times their original strength. So, now, My Saggi the Dark Clown has eighteen hundred attack points!"

Sonja's eyes narrowed.

" Go, Saggi the Dark Clown! Attack her Sacred Crane!"

" Not so fast!" Sonja yelled. " I activate the card Block Attack! It shifts your Dark Clown into defense position and keeps my Crane safe. Sorry, Kaiba."

Kaiba frowned at her and hummed. " Quick thinking, but it won't save you. It's your move." He said darkly. Sonja nodded and drew a card. " All right! Just what I needed! I sacrifice my Sacred Crane in order to summon my Millennium Shield in defense mode! And I activate the magic card, Ring of Magnetism! Now, though it lowers my monster's defense points, it's still better in defense strength than any creature on your side of the field. And my Ring of Magnetism only allows your creatures to attack my more-powerful shield, so any other monsters I summon are safe!"

" Yes. But not for long." Kaiba said. He drew a card and flashed a grin. He looked up. " I activate the magic card, Soul Exchange! It lets me control one monster on your side of the field! And since the only monster you have is that Millennium Shield, I'll take that one."

" Not if I can help it! Activate trap! Riryoku Field! This card lets me select one spell card on your side of the field that designates my monster as a target. In this case, your Soul Exchange. This card then destroys that spell card, so say goodbye to your Soul Exchange!"

Kaiba scowled at her. But little did she know he hadn't even gotten started yet. He was still waiting for his Blue Eyes White Dragon and she had no idea that he was saving monsters to sacrifice for it when he finally drew it. He could hardly stand that annoying look of confidence she had on her face.

" It's your move." He growled. He glanced at his hand. _If I can just draw a Blue-Eyes soon, I'll be able to destroy her and claim another victory. _

" Thank you." She said. She drew a card. _Hmm. Change of Heart. Very good. It'll allow me to get my Luster Dragon onto the field. _

" All right. I activate the magic card, Change of Heart! It allows me to do what you almost did last turn, control my opponent's monster. I choose your Saggi The Dark Clown!"

The hologram clown transferred to Sonja's side of the playing field. Sonja smiled. " And now, I sacrifice Saggi The Dark Clown in order to summon my Luster Dragon #2!"

Sonja watched as her emerald dragon appeared on the field. " Next, I'll activate my Soul Release Magic card, which allows me select up to five cards from both our graveyards and remove them from play. I choose both of my Sacred Cranes and your Saggi the Dark Clown. And then, finally, I activate my Soul Absorption magic card, which increases my Lifepoints by five hundred for each monster that has been removed from play. That's a total of fifteen hundred Lifepoints, so my grand total is now thirty-eight hundred!"

Kaiba smirked. " You know, you're not that bad of a duelist, Sonja. I'll give you that much."

" Thanks. You're definitely one of the toughest opponents I've ever faced." Sonja replied.

" Good. I'm glad you think that way. It'll get worse when I annihilate you."

" Just try it!" Sonja cried. " I dare you! My turn is over. I choose not to attack."

" Fine." Kaiba replied, drawing a card from his deck. As soon as he saw it, he laughed triumphantly. " At last!" he exclaimed. He cast a wicked grin at Sonja.

" You're about to see what real power is all about!" he said. " First, I sacrifice my Ryu-Kishin and my Rabid Horseman, dispelling your Paralyzing Potion in the process. This allows me to summon my almighty Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Sonja gasped sharply as he activated his card and the great blue dragon formed on the field.

" Now, Blue-Eyes! Attack her Millennium Shield, now!"

Sonja let out a cry as her Millennium Shield was destroyed, along with the magic card attached to it. All she had left was her Luster Dragon. She stared frightfully up into the face of his monster, wondering what she was going to do next. She frowned. " Kaiba, I won't let you get to me! I will defeat you!"

" Then prove it." He sneered. " Try and get past my powerful beast. Your Luster Dragon only has twenty-four hundred attack points. It has no hope of defeating my Blue-Eyes. And once my dragon wipes out your last monster, I'll take you down once and for all!"

Sonja sighed and closed her eyes. _Maybe I should just forfeit. I don't know him, but what if he turns out to be like the last person I dueled? I don't want that to happen again! Is Kaiba really that cruel? Would he really make me relive that whole experience? _

She hugged both her arms to her and shuddered. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. " NO!" she yelled. " I _refuse_ to go through that again! I _will_ pull through this and I _will _win!"

" What are you talking about?" Kaiba snapped.

" None of your business!! It's my move."

She whipped a card off her deck and stared at it. " I activate Graceful Charity! It allows me to draw three new cards at the cost of two that I discard."

She glanced at her new cards. " And now I activate, Swords of Revealing Light!"

Kaiba didn't flinch as the swords rained down around him, blocking him and his monsters. " So what? You're only delaying your own defeat." He said mockingly.

" You are still unable to attack for three turns." Sonja said. _I bought myself some time. I drew my ultimate weapon. If I can just get it out. With my Graceful Charity, I got three new monsters. One of them will help me until I can get my ultimate monster onto the field. _

" I summon my Blackland Fire Dragon to the field! And that ends my turn."

Kaiba hummed and drew a card. _Excellent! Another Blue-Eyes! I might be able to get my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon onto the field. That should kill whatever she's planning and end this duel. Just one more Blue-Eyes to go. I do have this, though, that could win it for me. I'll need luck. _

" I activate my Pot of Greed! It lets me draw two cards!"

He examined the cards he'd drawn. _Perfect. _" Next, I summon Lord of Dragons in attack mode! And that's all."

Sonja smiled. " It's all over." She drew a card. " Now I summon my Fire Princess, in attack mode! I also want to use my Ominous Fortunetelling once again. I choose the card to your far left. I say Monster!"

Kaiba hummed and nodded. " Lucky guess." He said as his meter subtracted seven hundred Lifepoints. " But it's my move, now. I activate the magic card, Flute of Summoning Dragons! This lets me summon up to two dragons straight to the field from my hand. I choose my second Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Sonja gasped as the second monster appeared on the field. But she frowned.

" It still can't attack for two more turns!" she reminded him. " I take it your turn is over with?"

" Yes."

" Good. My turn. Now, I sacrifice my Fire Princess and my Blackland Fire Dragon to summon my most powerful creature! Koitsu!"

" What on earth is that?" Kaiba exclaimed as what looked like a little blue man appeared balancing on one hand on a paper airplane. Sonja grinned slyly. " I did say that this is my most powerful creature!"

" You must be out of your mind! That thing only has two hundred attack points and one hundred defense points! If your magic card weren't still in effect, my Blue-Eyes would wipe the field clean of it!"

" Kaiba, not everything is as it seems. This card describes me pretty well. You remember the old saying, 'Don't judge a book by its cover'? Maybe my creature has some hidden abilities you don't know of yet. It's your move. One more turn and my swords shall disappear."

//ooo//

" Hey guys, get this!" Tristan exclaimed down below. " That Koitsu whatever-it-is is on this list! It's number four and the label beneath it says 'dangerous'."

" Are you serious?" Tea asked, taking a look at the list. Tristan nodded.

" Yeah. So far, about seven of the cards she's used have appeared on this list at one point. There's no denying it. If she does summon the counterpart to the Koitsu, then she is officially the duelist from Osaka."

" What makes you say that?" Yugi asked.

" It says underneath the Koitsu's description that only fifty of these cards were released to the public before it was declared too powerful, like the Paralyzing Potion. Pegasus explained that he wanted to create something totally unique and that the Koitsu cards were his own design from the start. But when paired with its counterpart, it can be devastating."

" So you think Kaiba's in trouble up there if she manages to get the counterpart onto the field?" Tea asked.

" I don't know." Yugi said. " It's all so confusing now. Sonja seemed to be terrified of losing this duel and she mentioned that she refused to go through something again. What did she go through after losing a duel?"

" I don't know." Tea said. " Maybe we can ask her later."

//ooo//

" My move." Kaiba snapped. _I already used my Flute of Summoning Dragon, so I can't summon my Blue-Eyes again when I draw the third one without sacrificing, But if I discarded it, I could bring it back with Monster Reborn. I just need to draw it. _

He drew a card off the top. _One of my new ones I was testing out. It's a risky one, but worth taking. And it might just give me the one card I'll need to finish this. _

" I place one card face-down and end my turn." He said. _Now if only luck will stay with me. _

" Good. My move, and after this, my swords will disappear and you will be free to attack me."

She drew a card. " And now, I summon my Aitsu card!"

Kaiba's eyes widened. " It looks like Koitsu." He exclaimed. Sonja nodded.

" Right, only he's red and he's less powerful. However, I activate my Koitsu's special ability. I can equip it to Aitsu as an equip card. My Aitsu then gains a grand total of three-thousand attack points!"

" No way!" Kaiba yelled. Sonja nodded again. " Yes, Kaiba. My monster is now equal in strength to your Blue-Eyes White Dragons. But before I end my turn, I switch my Luster Dragon into defense mode."

" Right, then." Kaiba said. " I can attack you now! Go Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Destroy her Luster Dragon with White Lightning!"

Sonja screamed as the blast of the attack to her dragon hit her full on and she was almost sent flying from the platform. She shakily got to her feet and stared forlornly at the spot where her Luster Dragon had been. " My dragon." She whispered. Kaiba smirked at her. " Aren't even able to stand on the platform, are you?" he sneered.

" I can't help that." She snapped, straightening. " I'm not out for the count, yet! I can still win this!"

She sighed heavily and picked up her cards. " It's my turn."

She drew a card. " All right. First, I summon Flash Assailant to the field. Now, his effect makes it so that I have to subtract his attack and defense points by four hundred for each card in my hand. Since I only have two, he only loses eight hundred attack and defense points. That leaves him with twelve hundred for both. I place him in defense mode. Next, I activate Card Destruction. We discard our hands and draw the same number of cards. I can only draw two, but you get five, Kaiba."

Grudgingly, Kaiba sent his hand to the graveyard. Sonja did the same. He drew a new hand. Instantly, he knew that this duel would be his if he could just manage to discard his new hand.

Sonja examined her hand. " All right." She declared. " I believe it's your turn.

Kaiba grinned. " Gladly."

He examined his new hand. _My third Blue-Eyes. Perfect. Now I just need a way to summon it. I also have a Monster Reborn now. All I need is one more card." _

" I activate Hidden Book of Spell!" he declared. " It's a trap that allows me to select two spell cards from my Graveyard and return them to my deck. I choose Polymerization and a De-Spell card that I just discarded last turn."

He removed them from his deck and then shuffled it. He replaced it on the playing surface. " And then, I summon La Jinn The Mystical Genie of The Lamp in defense mode."

He smirked at her. " But that's not all. Next, I activate my own Card Destruction! Once again, we must discard our hands and draw new cards."

Sonja growled angrily. " I really hate you." She hissed. _I was planning to use that Monster Reborn to bring back the Hyozanryu I discarded earlier this duel. Now I can't do that!_

She glanced at her cards and her face fell.

" Didn't get anything useful?" Kaiba taunted. " Too bad. But my turn's not done!"

He looked at his cards. " Just what I needed! Now, I activate the magic card, Premature Burial! At the simple cost of eight hundred Lifepoints, I can bring back a monster from my Graveyard and place it directly in attack position."

He laughed triumphantly. " So, come forth, my third and final Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

" No!" Sonja cried in alarm.

The enormous dragon appeared on the field. All three seemed to be staring directly at Sonja. She scowled. " It is of no matter! My Aitsu is still more powerful than your dragons!" she yelled.

" But not for long." Kaiba said. " You see, when I discarded my last hand, I also discarded my Blue-Eyes. But I drew what I needed just now in the replacement hand. And in more ways than one."

" Wha…What are you saying?" Sonja said in a small voice. Kaiba smirked at her. " I'll tell you what. I'll end my turn now and keep you in suspense. Then you can find out for yourself." He said cruelly. Sonja grimaced. " You are an evil person, Kaiba."

" Evil is a little strong, don't you think?" he said snippily, folding his arms. It didn't matter what she did now, this duel was finished.

Sonja sighed and drew a card.

" Hmm. Another Aitsu. It won't help me, now."

She looked up. _I could destroy his La Jinn, but that wouldn't do anything; it's in defense mode. And it would just be a lame, amateur move to just destroy it because I can't do anything else. I can't attack his dragons because My Aitsu's attack strength is identical to theirs. I'll have to strengthen it somehow. And my Flash Assailant is nowhere near good enough. I don't have much of a choice, but I can rest easy for now, knowing that his dragons can't attack me." _

" I place one card face-down and end my turn." She said. Kaiba shook his head. " Pathetic. I was expecting much more of a challenge, but I guess I've been proven wrong. Oh well. It's time for me to end this duel!"

He drew a card, not that he really needed to and added it to his hand. He fixed his gaze on his opponent, savoring the look of hopelessness on her face.

" I see I've worn you down." He remarked. " Good. It'll make it that much more enjoyable when I blow you away. I activate this card, Polymerization!"

" What?" Sonja cried.

" Yes, to fuse my three Blue-Eyes' together to form my ultimate creature!"

Sonja watched in terror as the three dragons merged together, growing bigger and stronger in the process. " It can't be." She whispered.

Kaiba chuckled as he watched her face go from blank to that of fear. " But, as with the rules of fusion monsters, my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon cannot attack this turn. So you have one more chance to pull through." He said, knowing there was nothing more she could do. Sonja reached a trembling hand toward her deck to pick up a card. As soon as she saw it, she moaned in despair. " No." she murmured. " Not another Aitsu! I'm finished."

" How right you are." Kaiba stated. " Too bad. Now, I summon my Rude Kaiser to the field, in attack mode and I switch my La Jinn into attack mode as well."

He paused a moment. Then, he grinned triumphantly. " Now, La Jinn, attack her Flash Assailant!"

Sonja whimpered in fear as her monster was eliminated. She opened her eyes and watched in horror as he prepared another attack.

" And Rude Kaiser! Attack that Koitsu! If my theory is right, then attacking the Koitsu will destroy Aitsu, if not power it down."

Sonja cried out and shook her head. _No!! He discovered my creature's weakness! If one is destroyed, the other goes with it!!_

She watched in dismay as her monsters were obliterated. " Oh no." she whispered.

" Now, that just leaves one thing." Kaiba said in a dangerous voice. Sonja's grip on the handle on the platform tightened. She was through. There was nothing left she could do, and she knew it.

" I've saved the best for last." He said menacingly.

//ooo//

" Oh no!" Yugi cried.

" What?" Tristan said. Tea grumbled. " Guys, don't you remember the last time his Blue-Eyes attacked her? It almost blew her off the platform. Obviously, he's improved the holographic system enough that it affects the person dueling as well! She'll get knocked right off the platform!"

" That's bad!" Joey exclaimed.

" No kidding." Yugi agreed. " But at this point, the only thing we can do is hope and watch."

//ooo//

" Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Attack her Lifepoints directly and end this duel!!"

The attack exploded from the dragons' mouths and hurtled toward Sonja. All three blasts collided head on with her and she was lost to sight for a moment in the blaze. When the light died, everyone on the ground strained their eyes, searching for her.

Sonja had gone to her knees, clutching the handlebar for support and trembling furiously. She stood up, her hair hanging over her eyes. Kaiba nodded.

" Victory is mine." He announced.

Mokuba's voice echoed throughout the arena.

_" This duel is over. Seto Kaiba is the winner!"_

A/N: Not much of a surprise there, huh? Sonja's good, but not good enough, apparently. I'm ashamed to admit it, but this is actually the story that nearly killed The First Legacy. For those of you who read the said story, don't hold that against this one. Part of the problem was also writer's block. That can't be helped. Anyway, drop me a review if you can. Oh, and Puppy Daze is on hiatus due to lack of inspirational ideas. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to suggest. I will give full credit to people whose ideas I use.


	5. Hyozanryu

A/N: For those of you who are actually reading this story, I apologize for the late update, when I promised to get them in on time. I actually just got my first job at a pet store nearby and I've been training all week to work at the register. (bleh) Anyway, I'm free for the rest of the week. Beware, in the next few chapters, Sonja starts to act a little odd. I was still deciding what to do with her at this point.

Hyozanryu

Beside Mokuba by the microphone, Sophie had bowed her head sadly. " My sister lost. Is she okay? She isn't moving!"

" Sophie no! The microphone is still on!" Mokuba cried. But it was too late. Now everyone knew Sophie had been up there.

Kaiba descended from the platform and waited while Sonja shakily made her own way down. Once she was back on the ground, she took out her deck and fumbled with it, fanning it out and removing a card from the center. She raised her head as she approached him, holding the card out. He stared down at it. " What's this?" he demanded.

" Just take it." She grumbled.

" I have no need of it." He said, wondering what had gotten into her. She looked away. " I'll just give it up this time. Take it already!"

" What's your problem?" he snapped. Her face became bitter all of a sudden. She pocketed her deck, lashed out and snatched his hand, forcing the card into it and whirling to the door. She dashed outside, vanishing instantly in the darkness.

Mokuba and Sophie hurried downstairs from the announcer's station and Sophie stared off into the darkness.

" Sonja. I warned her. I told her she'd get hurt again if she dueled. Now look." She muttered. She looked at Kaiba. " What did Sonja do?" she asked. He held out the card she'd forced on him. Sophie gasped and covered her mouth.

" No! Not that one!" she cried. Kaiba looked at it. " What's so special about it?" he asked.

" That was Sonja's all-time favorite monster, Hyozanryu. It's saved our hides so many times before! Now she's given it up!"

" What do you mean?" Kaiba snapped.

" Back in Osaka, Sonja and I lived alone after our parents were taken away. Because she's going to be eighteen in a few months, Sonja decided she was old enough for us to not have to go to a home, but people still came for us. She challenged each of them to a duel and won every time, winning us our freedom each time. And each time, she did that with Hyozanryu. He was unstoppable! But now, he's gone."

Sophie broke down and started crying. " And now my sister's gone, too!"

" Sophie," Mokuba said. " Can you tell us why she was freaked about losing?"

Sophie shook her head. " Mm-mm. You'll have to take that up with her yourself. She'd be mad if I told you what happened."

" So what should Seto do with the card?" Mokuba asked. Sophie shuffled her feet. " Well, I suppose he'd have to try and give it back to her. But it's the weekend, and I know she'll miss it."

She looked around. " Does anyone have a phone I can borrow? She's extremely fast. She must have made it home by now. I'm certain of it."

Mokuba looked at his brother. " Seto?"

" Even if I had anything, I'm not getting mixed up in these personal affairs. It has nothing to do with me. As for this card, I'll return it on Monday. I have no use for such a monster."

Sophie sighed. " I'll head home." She murmured. She turned around and exited the building, disappearing into the darkness. They stared after her.

" I feel bad for Sonja." Tea said. " She fought her heart out and she still lost."

" I know. But we know one thing about her, now." Tristan said. " And you should listen too, Kaiba, this could be important."

" Why should I care what you nerds tell me?" Kaiba grumbled.

" Hey, just listen for once!" Joey exclaimed. " Tristan has a list of cards that a mysterious predator used on people. This predator was in Osaka. Sonja used the same cards that the predator used."

" So now you believe that some new weirdo in our class is a predator from another town? How lame." Kaiba said, turning around and walking away. " If she is such a predator, then I just put her in her place is all."

As he left the dueling arena, he looked at the Hyozanryu card she'd made him take. Why did she force him to take the card? And if what Sophie said was true, than it was the only card that kept the two girls from ending up in a home like Mokuba and himself. Kaiba was angry to realize he felt slightly envious of Sonja's story. She'd been able to protect the two of them simply by dueling, while he'd had to protect his brother from the bullies at the home they'd lived in. But Sonja and Sophie had never ended up like that, though they were close to it. If what the girl said were true, that Sonja would turn eighteen in a few months, then they were still in danger of being put in a home. And even such a short amount of time was torture. He and Mokuba had only been in the home short of eight months and he'd learned three chokeholds and the locations of four pressure points in that short of time. Of course, he never used anything he'd learned in terms of self-defense except when he really needed it.

As he arrived back in his office and sat down at his desk, he thought about the bit that Sophie had told him. He had to admit, he was curious. Sonja and Sophie's case was strikingly similar to his and Mokuba's. The more he lingered on it, the more similar it seemed. Sonja was a determined elder sibling out to protect her younger sister. Sonja had learned to duel exceptionally well for someone her age from someone, somewhere, although where that could be, he had no idea.

But the most striking similarity was the fact that her parents had disappeared as well. Kaiba had long since accepted that his parents were probably dead, though he was careful not to mention this to Mokuba. But Sophie had said their parents were taken away. What could that mean? Did they get into some sort of trouble, leaving their daughters behind? Was there more to Sonja and Sophie than meets the eye? Was Sophie telling the whole truth?

But the sister who confused him the most was Sonja. She seemed quite edgy and bitter about something. She'd seemed to hate him the second she'd laid eyes on him. He had to admit, it had been the same both ways. But after dueling her, he felt that something wasn't quite right about her. Something was…different. He couldn't quite place it. And then, she'd mentioned that she didn't want to go through something again if she lost.

He frowned, staring into space. If maybe, during her last duel, she lost and then her opponent attacked her? Or maybe something worse? Did she therefore think he would then do something similar, as though to make her suffer just for losing? Even though he knew he was a harsh duelist, he believed that a direct attack from a Blue-Eyes or Blue-Eyes Ultimate was enough suffering for someone. Thanks to his holographic technology, ultra neon lights enhanced to become almost harmful and searing electrical currents combined to form the White Lightning attacks for the Blue-Eyes and it was merely twice the amount for the Blue-Eyes Ultimate's attack. He'd seen to it that it was nothing that could injure someone, and yet still weaken them, so long as the safeties remained on. He turned in his chair and stared out the window, lost in thought. Then, he turned back to his computer and logged onto the Internet. He had a few minutes to fool around and try to find something before he had to get back to work. After looking up a search engine, he applied a few hacking strategies and clicked on a link it brought up.

" This." He mumbled. " There you are."

He typed in some information and then waited for it to load.

" Every computer has a back door if you know where to look." He murmured to himself. He copied it into a word file and hit print.

He pulled the sheet from the printer under his desk and examined it.

" I'll go tomorrow."

//ooo//

Sophie sat at the table as Sonja stirred something in a pot at the stove. Sonja had indeed made it home in record time and apologized to Sophie for leaving her there. But she hadn't said a word since. Sophie figured it was the loss of her beloved card Hyozanryu. She hoped that Kaiba would return it. It was true when she said that Hyozanryu had protected them from the 'people from the city' as Sonja had called them. Sophie still remembered the day they came for the first time.

//ooo//

_There was a knock on the door. Sonja, playing Go-Fish with Sophie, set her hand down and got up to answer it. When she opened the door, a tall lady with short red hair and a black business suit stepped inside. " Are you two Sonja and Sophia Gavens?" she asked in a high, professional voice. Sonja looked at Sophie and nodded. " Yes." _

_The woman nodded. " I am Susanne Stone. You two are to come with me." She explained. Sonja frowned. " Why?" _

_" You two are unprotected minors. I have orders from the Marshall to take you two to our local Orphan home until you can be adopted." _

_Sonja scowled. " Heck no, the sun will freeze over before we leave this place." She snapped. _

_" Now listen here, young lady, you are—"_

_" Not leaving!" Sonja retaliated. " And I have a proposal for you, Sue! Duel me. You win, we go with you, no questions asked. We win, we don't go with you, no questions asked. How about it?" _

_Susanne appeared flustered. " I should think not, I—"_

_" Coward!" Sonja cried. " You won't face a fifteen year-old girl! Practically a child!" _

_Susanne's face went red and she whipped a deck out of her pocket. Sophie was stunned to see that this professional person was in fact a duelist. _

_" Fine, brat. You're on!" she cried. _

_Sonja had just smiled. _

//ooo//

Sonja hardly ever truly smiled nowadays. She was too sad. She was actually old enough to really remember their parents, though Sophie had scant memories of them from long ago. She knew it was their father who gave Sonja her odd hair color. It had always been white as pure fallen snow and no dyes ever stayed in.

" Sonja," Sophie murmured. Sonja turned around, one of those fake, sad smiles on her pale face. " Hmm?"

" Why do you hate Mr. Kaiba so much? He dueled fairly, you know."

" I know, Sophie." She said. " I just…I just can't trust anyone anymore."

Sophie sighed sadly. " I know, but…maybe you can trust him." She suggested. Sonja shook her head. " No. I'll just stay alone, Sophie. We're both safer that way. But, that doesn't mean _you_ have to be alone. You have that new friend of yours."

" I thought you didn't want me to be friends with Mokuba." Sophie pointed out. Sonja shrugged. " Eh, changed my mind. If you really think he's a good friend, I say go for it, girl. Not like you'll get many other chances in life. Especially in this city."

" We aren't leaving again, are we? I'm sick of moving."

" We've only moved three times, Sophie. I can't afford this rent for long if business doesn't pick up. No one seems interested in what I sell anymore, and stock is getting to be too expensive. I'm afraid I may have to sell out."

Sophie gasped. " No! It was always your dream to own that shop! To sell what you do! It's all you ever talked about!"

" Sophie, sometimes, dreams have to die. I'll find another one." She said, adding some salt to the soup. " Besides, we have to keep moving, at least until I'm a legal adult. Then, I'll be able to get a real job."

" No!" Sophie cried. " I'll help! Maybe…maybe Mokuba can ask his brother to help us! Maybe he can give you a job! We can't lose your shop, Sonja!"

" I'm not desperate for work, Sophie. I won't go to him for help. I don't even like the guy."

" You don't have to! Ask him for a job! Please, Sonja! We can't lose the shop!" Sophie begged, tears welling up in her eyes. " It was always too important to you and it's the only thing we've gotten to work successfully! Please, Sonja!"

Sonja turned around, gazing at her sister sadly. " You…make it sound so easy." She grumbled, taking the pot off the burner and turning the gas off. She then crossed the room and entered into a small bedroom, closing the door behind her. Inside was a bunk bed they'd had for a long time. Sonja was getting a little big, so she slept on the bottom, but usually ended up sleeping on the rug so she didn't have to stay scrunched up the whole time. She sighed and collapsed on the bottom mattress, allowing the sobs to wrack her body at last, now that she was in private. She only cried when she was alone, never elsewhere.

" Why?" she mumbled into her pillow. " Why can't things be better? All I want is something to make our lives easier! So we don't have to dodge the truants and police, so I don't have to steal for food to preserve precious funds! Even something simple, like a large order! Anything!"

She curled into a ball, squeezing her eyes shut. She needed something to hate right now, but she didn't dare consider her sister. Because she didn't like to hate anyone, she sighed shakily and gave up, hating herself, instead.

//ooo//

Sophie sat in the kitchen, eating her soup slowly, her mind clouded. The phone rang and she got up sluggishly to answer it.

" Hello?" she mumbled.

_" Hey, Sophie!" _

Sophie's eyes widened. " Mokuba?"

_" Yeah! It's me!" _

" How'd you get my number?"

_" I looked up your name in the phone directory. How's Sonja?"_

" Not too good. She went to bed. I don't think she's feeling too well. I think the duel must have taken a lot out of her."

_" I can understand that. My brother can go a little overboard, but he's still a great duelist!" _

" I know. But Sonja's real discouraged. We may have to move again to escape the outrageous rent here."

_" Move? As in leave?" _

" Yep. I was wondering. Do you think you could ask your brother to give her a job? We're in real trouble and Sonja's considering selling her shop."

_" That's right, you told me about it. Sure, I could try. Knowing him, he'd put her in a department where they wouldn't have to see each other. That way they could avoid arguments. I'll give it a shot and let you know how it goes." _

" Thanks, Mokuba. You're a good friend." Sophie said quietly. They said goodbye and she hung up.

" I sure hope something good happens." She said, returning to her chilled soup.

//ooo//

Mokuba found his brother still working, even though night had already fallen. He slowly stepped in and approached the desk. Kaiba looked up. " Mokuba. Is something wrong?" he asked. Mokuba nodded. " Yeah. It's about Sophie and Sonja." He said. Kaiba raised an eyebrow. " What about them?"

" I just called Sophie to check up on Sonja. Sonja's still in bad shape from the duel. Sophie says that she's considering selling her shop so that they'll have money for the rent at wherever they are."

" Why are you telling me this?" Kaiba asked.

" Sophie asked me to ask you if you'll give Sonja a job. She sounded desperate."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. " I don't have time for sob-stories, Mokuba. That girl probably doesn't even know what this company produces, much less what department she'd fit in."

" Please, Seto! I want to help Sophie. She's the only real friend I've ever had. You don't count because you're my brother. Please?"

Kaiba stared at him a moment. He returned his gaze to his work. " I'll think about it." He said finally. Mokuba decided it was best to accept this answer and hope for the best. With that, he left the office.

Kaiba saved the shipping invoice he'd been typing and sat back, folding his arms. It was true, Sophie seemed like a nice kid and did appear to like Mokuba. What was even funnier was that she seemed to trust _him_, Mokuba's infamous older brother. Once again, he was amazed at the similarity of the two cases. Sonja was just like him; determined to survive. Determined to protect her younger sibling. Traits like that, he couldn't help but admire, for they were the same he possessed all his life and were what got him this far. On top of all that, she seemed quite strong for her age.

" Hmm." He said to himself. He thought about it. Then it came to him. His lifelong goal was always to make a better life for himself and Mokuba. And now that Mokuba was even happier now that he'd made a real friend, (And Mokuba was right; he _didn't_ count because they were brothers) he was worried that he was going to lose that friend. Kaiba's eyes narrowed. Perhaps there was a way to help them _without_ hiring Sonja to work for him. Maybe, if he visited the shop and decided he approved of what she sold, whatever it was, he could offer to buy the shop and allow her to continue running it as she always did while it was funded each month to continue operation by his company. That way, he could help Mokuba's little friend and keep his promise.

" It's settled then." He mumbled. " I'll pay them a visit, tomorrow."

A/N: Is this believable at all? If it isn't, I apologize. I was always so proud of this story and I always will be. Heck, I'm on the third chapter of its sequel right now!! But Kinkatia has told me that Kaiba has remained in character throughout the story. Let me know if any of you think otherwise and I'll try to do better.


	6. Sonja's Shop and Kaiba's Offer

A/N: Okay, this chapter's the weird one. I had so much trouble with it while writing it. If Kaiba's ooc, please tell me. But nicely. I'll try to fix it. Right now, the glue from my Titanic model is making me dizzy. It smells like tangerines. Ugh.

Sonja's Shop and Kaiba's Offer

Early the next morning, Kaiba headed down to the basement level. He'd decided to go alone because he felt like driving himself. He owned a car himself, a black one of a foreign model. The others were company cars.

He got in and started the ignition. He'd left a note for Mokuba, telling him where he was going. He'd also looked up Sonja's address the night before and loaded it into the GPS system below the dashboard.

He roared out of the basement garage and onto the road. It was still early, so traffic was at a minimum. He'd always been one to be up first, though sometimes, it came at a major disadvantage. Such as with meetings, he'd be stuck waiting for an hour for the other representatives to arrive.

At a red light, a beat-up yellow SUV pulled to a stop beside him and some nerd rolled down their window. " Hey! It's Kaiba! Hey, you wanna duel!?"

Kaiba didn't even spare them a glance. He got that occasionally from idiots who didn't have lives of their own. Fortunately for him, he'd made himself a life and couldn't care about those dweebs.

The light turned green and he sped away, leaving them far behind. He made a right and realized that Sonja lived on the outskirts of Domino City. No wonder her business was so bad, she wasn't getting any attention for her work. If he succeeded in purchasing the shop, provided he liked the stock, he'd move the business further into the urban territory, closer to the headquarters. It would get a lot more publicity that way.

Finally, he reached a small, deserted street and pulled alongside the curb next to a small, worn down building. The window had a curtain over it, and the writing on the glass was so smudged, he'd need a magnifying glass to read it. He got out of the car and shut the door. He approached the building and paused in front of the door. He tried the knob and as he expected, it was locked. He looked around and noticed a set of metallic stairs leading up to a second floor, which he presumed was their living quarters. He quickly ascended them, reaching the top and stared at the door. He knocked hard three times and waited. He heard voices inside.

_" It must be the paper-guy." _He heard Sophie say. _Oh, sure._ He thought sarcastically.

_" Finish your cereal, Sophie, I'll get it." _He heard Sonja say. The locked clicked and the door opened. Sonja was speaking, still facing her sister. She was wearing a white cloth robe with a small hole in the right shoulder and went down to just above her shins. Judging by the many cream-colored patches in the material, she'd had it a long time. As she turned around, her face froze and her eyes went wide.

Then, all of a sudden, she yelped and slammed the door, making him jump in surprise. He certainly hadn't been expecting _that_ that much was for sure. Still shocked, he simply stared at the door, too stunned by the suddenness of it to even become angry at the action.

_" Sonja, who was it?" _

_" Harry Potter." _

_" Really!?!" _

_" NO!!" Sonja yelled. _

_" Then who was it?" Sophie demanded. _

_" Who else? Seto Kaiba himself!" _

_" YOU JUST SLAMMED THE DOOR ON SETO KAIBA!?" _

_" I know, I know. I'm an idiot." Sonja groaned. _

_" Well don't just stand there! Open the door before he leaves! Hurry!" _

Kaiba blinked as Sonja opened the door a crack and then opened it all the way, her mouth set in a thin line. " Um, hello?" she said clumsily. " What are you doing here at…" she glanced at the clock on the wall behind her. " Eight in the morning? By the way, how do you know where I even live?"

" Online directories are quite useful." He replied. " As for my reason, I am here with a business proposition for you."

Sonja was about to answer when Sophie suddenly appeared, peeking out from around her sister's arm. " Are you going to give Sonja a job?" she asked hopefully. Kaiba simply stared at her a moment before returning his gaze to Sonja. She appeared skeptical and he didn't blame her.

" Business proposition? Like what?"

" I was told you own a shop. I came to see what you sell. If the stock wins my approval, I want to offer to buy the shop, and allow you to continue working in it."

Sonja raised an eyebrow. " What good would that do? Business is terrible. I'm thinking of selling out."

She paused and looked outside. One of her neighbors across the street was staring at them and quickly turned away as she realized she was caught. Sonja looked back at him. " Do you want to come in?" she asked.

He didn't reply, but stepped inside and she shut the door behind him.

" Why don't you have a seat? We can discuss this proposition of yours." She said. He took a seat in one of the chairs at the table, taking note of his surroundings as he did. Sophie sat down across the table from him, staring at him curiously. He glanced at her. " What is it?" he grumbled.

" Your outfit's neat!" Sophie remarked. He blinked at this, but said nothing. He looked over at Sonja. He figured she must have been up for awhile because her hair was tidy and looked exactly the way it did yesterday. She turned around.

" Um, would you like some coffee, or something?" she asked politely.

" No thanks." He said. She shrugged and took a mug from the counter, placing a tea bag in it and making her way over, sitting down in the remaining chair and swirling the bag around the mug.

" Um, sorry about slamming the door in your face." She said. " You're the last person I was expecting to see on my doorstep this morning."

" I'll forget it this time." He said. She gave a nervous chuckle and looked away. " So, what's that you were saying about wanting to buy the shop?"

" If what you sell meets my standards, I'll offer you a reasonable sum for the shop and move it closer to my headquarters to attract better publicity for it. I would also grant you permission to continue working there."

" What's wrong with my current location?" she asked. He gave her a look suggesting stupidity. " It's ridiculously simple. You live in virtually the dump part of town. No one here is interested in tiny shops. In the busier part of the city, you'd have much better luck and business."

" But I can barely afford the rent in this shack." She complained. " Welfare cut me off because they found out I'm still a minor! I'm still seventeen. But I turn eighteen at the beginning of September and it's only the middle of August. If I agree to this and allow you to move the shop into the city, I'll practically have to sell myself to keep the place."

" That's where you're wrong." He countered. " My company would fund the shop each month, giving you enough to keep it running, despite lack of business or not."

Sonja's face seemed to change and she looked away, considering. She sipped her tea and cradled the mug in her hands. " Really." She mumbled. " And, Sophie and I would still work in the shop?"

" Yes."

" Where would we live?"

" Can you drive?"

" No." she admitted. " I could never scrape enough money together for lessons."

" Fine, then. The place I have in mind for the shop, that's if the stock is approvable, is similar to this place, with an apartment above the ground floor."

" That's great." Sonja said. Then, she took on a weird expression. " Wait. Why are you helping us like this? Didn't we hate each other with a passion yesterday?"

" My reasons are my own." He said cryptically. " Now, I'd like to see your shop."

Sonja nodded. " Of course. Let me get dressed."

She got up and went into another small room, closing the door behind her. Kaiba looked around the room, frowning at the horrid conditions it contained. He was aware that Sophie was still staring at him.

" Excuse me." She said. " How's Mokuba doing?"

" He's fine." Kaiba answered. Sophie smiled. " That's good. He seemed kinda down after the duel."

" Hmm." Kaiba said. That reminded him, he still had Sonja's Hyozanryu. He'd have to remember to return it once she came back. Sophie folded her arms on the table and leaned her head on them, staring at him. " Why did my sister challenge you to a duel, anyway? She knows it's not safe for her to duel, anymore."

" I wouldn't know." He replied. The door opened again and Sonja stepped out, closing it behind her. She'd changed into a yellow skirt that went to her knees with matching sandals and a strange choice of a school uniform top in the sailor style that had become popular in some schools. She made her way over and leaned on the back of Sophie's chair. " Well, do you still want to see the shop?" she asked him. He nodded. She straightened and made her way over to the door. By the time he'd gotten to the steps outside, she was already on the ground heading toward the shop front.

" Let's see." She murmured when he got down there. " Which key is it?"

" You don't remember the key to your own shop door?" he snapped.

" No, it isn't that. I had this special system put in by an ex-friend who worked in the police station in Osaka. Both keys work the door, but one activates an alarm that goes straight to the police station. I can never remember which one it is and I've accidentally called the police a couple of times. I keep reminding myself to mark them. Oh, I think it's this one."

" You think or you know?" he grumbled.

" We'll know for sure in about ten minutes." She said, opening the door and going inside. He rolled his eyes and followed her in.

" It's too dark in here." He growled irritably.

" Hang on a sec'." She said from somewhere in front of him. The light snapped on. " There we go." She said, smiling. He realized it was the first time she'd actually smiled since he saw the book in her hands the day before. She leaned on the countertop, staring at him. " Well?"

He looked around, taken aback. He hadn't expected this to be what she sold for a living.

" You sell flowers?" he said.

" Yes. It's always been my dream to own a flower shop, ever since I planted my first little garden out in our backyard. That is until the crows tore it up." She said grumpily. She turned to the right and opened up a small laptop screen. He approached the counter and stared at it. " You have a computer?"

" Actually, it's my dad's old Pentium. It was still in good shape when…when he left, so I, sorta borrowed it for the business. I'm sure he won't mind. I can ask him sometime." She said. Her desktop popped up and a single file caught his eyes.

" 'Novel'?" he read. She immediately froze up and turned her computer sideways. " You weren't supposed to see that!!" she yelled. " It's my computer. I can write what I want on it." She grumbled. She turned around toward what looked like an ancient cash machine. She pressed a single blue button on it. She screeched as all the paper in it came flying out of the dispenser, wrapping her up like a mummy and knocking over a vase with a single Tulip in it. Kaiba just watched as she untangled herself and threw the paper on the floor in a fury.

" It _always_ does that!! I'm so sick of being mummified every morning!! Plus it wastes paper by doing that."

" Perhaps you need an upgrade." He suggested dryly.

" I would if I could, believe me. It's all I can do not to throw this thing into the water every day."

She banged on the top of the machine and it let out a small _chug_, spitting the paper-roll out at her. She glared at it and sighed. " It's cranky, what can I tell you?" she mumbled. " But, anyway, what do you think of the shop? Sure, the machinery isn't all that great, but it gets the job done."

_Ding, Ding!_

They both looked up as the door opened and a lady with frizzy brown hair and a purple granny dress stepped inside.

" Am I interrupting something?" she asked in a nasally voice. Sonja shook her head. " Uh, N-No, Mrs. Hopkins." She stammered. " W-What can I do for you?"

The woman eyed her with contempt. " First, you can go right back upstairs and change that ridiculous mismatched outfit. That shade of blue does _not_ go with that shade of butter yellow. And your hair-UGH!"

Kaiba was astounded. Were things always this way this far from the city? He never came out here anymore, so he didn't know.

" B-But, Mrs. Hopkins, all of my other clothes are being washed. This was all I had clean."

" Honestly girl," Mrs. Hopkins snapped, pushing past Kaiba as though he weren't there. " Just look at you, you're a mess! You have such a lovely figure and you go ruining it with those horrid colors and clothes! You can't go around like this. Plus, your eyes don't match you at all. You should get contacts. Maybe something like…hmm…Oh, green? Or blue! I know, I think a lovely ocean blue would work for you. Kind of bring notice away from that white hair of yours."

Kaiba glanced at Sonja. Her face was downcast and her shoulders were sagging. She brought her arms up around her stomach and looked away. " I really look that bad?" she whispered.

Mrs. Hopkins crossed her arms, shaking her head in empathy. " Oh well. I guess it can't be helped. You're just a lost cause, I suppose. Anyway, I came to place a small order."

Sonja gave a weak smile and turned to Kaiba. " This will only take a minute." She murmured. She reached under her desk and took out a pad of paper and a pencil.

" Okay." She said quietly. " Shoot."

" I'd like half a dozen Tulips to be delivered sharp to the house next to mine, I'm sure you know it quite well, Samantha."

" Uh, ma'am, it's Sonja."

" Whatever, Sarah. Just get those flowers delivered!"

As she stalked to the door, she turned back. " Oh and dearie, next time, wear a necklace of some sort. That neck of yours is too thin."

She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

" Pleasant guests." Kaiba muttered sarcastically. He looked at Sonja. He was surprised to see her head bowed and she was shaking.

" Hey, what's the matter?" he asked, not bothering to change his tone.

" I think it would be best if you left." She whispered. " You don't need to buy the shop. Flowers aren't important."

She turned around. She approached a door to the right of her filing cabinet and opened it, stepping inside and shutting it behind her. He simply stared after her. Then, he followed after without a word. He opened the door and glanced around inside. This was obviously a storage room. But there was next to no storage, save for a few boxes here and there.

Sonja was sitting on one box in a dark corner, fingering something dark blue in her lap. He slowly approached and looked down at it when he got close.

It was a dress of some sort. Sonja played with the material, curling it around one finger and then pushing it back into place again.

" This was my mom's." she mumbled. " I smuggled it out of the house when we moved here, as I did with every house we left. Each time, we left more behind."

" What do you mean?" he asked.

" Possessions. Memories. Clothes. Toys. All things."

His eyes narrowed as he waited for her to speak again. " This dress is very valuable to me. It's all I have left of her. But I can never wear it."

" Why's that?"

" You heard Mrs. Hopkins." She grumbled bitterly. He didn't know what to say to this. She stood up and folded the dress back up again, setting it on the crate behind her. " I'll go put together that order and close up." She mumbled.

" Close up?"

" I'm selling out. I can't stay here anymore." She said.

" I thought we had an agreement." He reminded her. She turned back, a tired expression on her face. " What's a big CEO like you interested in a flower shop for?" she said, not really seeming to care. " Why would you want to buy the shop? It isn't like it would help your business or anything."

Suddenly, her face darkened. Her oak eyes seemed to burst into flames as abrupt anger took place. She yelled in fury, whirled and slammed her fist against the wall.

" I'm sick of living around that woman!! I'm sick of her telling me everything that's not right about me!! I'm sick of being her little scapegoat!!! I'M SICK OF HER TELLING ME MY HAIR IS WHITE!!!"

She grabbed a fistful of her hair as she said this and yanked so hard, she pulled several strands out as she did. " She does it on purpose." Sonja snarled.

" What's that supposed to mean?" Kaiba demanded.

" Every week, she comes in at precisely the same time, hour, minute, second, millisecond, you name it. She spends ten minutes telling me how horrible my eyes look, and how terrifying my hair is every day. She keeps it up until whatever she's going through is lighter for her, and then she places as tiny an order as she can. Then, once I go to deliver it, her sister living next door tells me she never ordered anything of the sort! She gives me a little bitty amount for my trouble and sends me away with a bouquet of wilted Tulips!! I'm sick and tired of being their little dog!!"

She pounded the wall again and slid to the floor, cradling her face in one hand. " I'm just so tired, now." She mumbled. She looked up and then turned to him. " I apologize." She said. " I shouldn't have ranted like that. You probably have enough to deal with without being dragged into this."

She leaned her head against the wall and sighed. " Sometimes I wonder why I'm so selfish like that, to rant at random and such."

Kaiba said nothing. For once, he couldn't think of anything to say.

" I just wanted a break," she said. " For me and Sophie. It's been six years and I feel older than I am."

Kaiba hummed in thought. That's when he got an idea.

" You're pathetic." He snapped. Her head shot up, confusion written all over her face. " What?"

" You heard me. You won't stand up for your pride or your honor. You let her push you around. Not very courageous if you ask me."

Sonja just stared at him as though he were some new creature that had arrived on the planet bent on destruction of all mankind. She stood up, still staring at him. " Why are you saying this? I've stood up for myself my whole life! How do you think I got this far!?" she demanded.

" Just face it, Sonja." He sneered. " You haven't a hope left in the world. You're useless. That woman was right. There are many things wrong with you and you don't even try to fix them!"

He watched in triumph as her eyes began to blaze. " How dare you—" she hissed.

" And to think I decided to waste my time with a weakling like you. Not one of my better days, I'll tell you that much."

Sonja squeezed her eyes shut. Kaiba smirked. " Aren't you going to say anything to me? Retaliate somehow? But that's right, I'd forgotten. You just turn the other cheek and take it all, rather than fight for yourself. It's too bad, really. You could do so well."

Sonja's eyes snapped open. " That's enough!!" she yelled. " How dare you enter my house and start insulting me right after that devil who comes in here every week! I have every mind to throw you out of here! Now you either respect me under my roof, or you're gone! Got that!?" she shrieked. Kaiba simply grinned. " Good job." He said. Sonja's confident posture faltered. " Huh?"

" I knew you had it in you. Now you have to master it." He said. Sonja straightened, her head slightly tilted. " I repeat, huh?"

" By taunting you, I forced you to defend yourself. And if you have the guts to tell me off, you'll have no trouble with your other problem."

Sonja blinked in surprise. " So, you were trying to help me?" she mumbled.

" It's amazing how slowly your mind works."

" Watch it." She grumbled. But she smiled suddenly. " And, thanks."

Kaiba didn't reply, but turned and started toward the door. " Whatever. Now, is the deal closed, or not?"

" What? You still want to buy the shop?" Sonja exclaimed.

" Yes."

" Well, um, okay. But I thought the last thing you'd be interested in was a flower shop."

" I have my reasons." He replied. He was never going to reveal the real reason he wanted to buy the shop.

He genuinely wanted to protect Sophie and Sonja from ending up with the same fate he and Mokuba had. No one deserved the have to go to an orphan home no matter who they were. He was going to see to it that Sonja and Sophie had a chance. And the only way to do that was to move them closer to the headquarters. This was extremely new ground for him. Normally, he couldn't care less about them. But seeing how they were going down the same road he'd been forced to take, he wasn't going to stand for it. He was going to keep them undercover, at least until Sonja's eighteenth birthday in September. Then she'd be a legal adult and could legally live alone.

" Come on." Kaiba snapped without looking back. Sonja immediately followed. " O-Of course." She stuttered.

Back in the front of the store, Sonja went behind the counter and opened her file cabinet. Kaiba waited and watched her patiently. Sonja emerged with a thin file and brought it to the counter. " Um, I suppose this is it." She said quietly. She slid it across the glass counter to him. " These are the ownership files I got on the shop. When I find a lawyer and legally close the deal, I won't own it any longer."

" Quit acting like you're losing everything in your life." He grumbled, taking the file in hand. " I already told you my offer. I'll be back in a week with the finished documents, looked over by a professional. Don't go anywhere."

As he left the shop, Sonja sighed.

" Where would I go, Kaiba?" she whispered.

A/N: Still dizzy. Stupid model glue. Sorry about the late update. My internal clock's off. Nothing important to say right now. Too dizzy to think straight.


	7. Atmospheric Changes

A/N: Sorry for the extreme lateness. My job has long hours and school is killing me. Plus, my hand hurts since I gave myself a blood blister by smashing my finger between the posts of my bunk bed. I might have to update every two weeks, instead. I hope that's okay. Anyway, the story starts to get back on track starting here.

Atmospheric Changes

The next morning, Kaiba entered the classroom to find the usual scene. Yugi and his little pals hanging around him and watching him practice. Everyone else was off doing whatever until the teacher arrived. He glanced at Sonja's usual desk. He was surprised to see she wasn't there.

" Probably late." He mumbled. He sat down and arranged his textbook on the desk, then watching the clock as he always did.

Just a minute before the bell rang, he heard Sonja's voice outside in the hallway. It was rather loud and attracted the attention of several other students, including Yugi and the others. Kaiba stared at the door curiously.

_" Listen!" _he heard her yell angrily. _" Every time I come near this place now, you gang up on me and try to beat me to a pulp! I'm not standing for it anymore! Do you hear me?" _

Kaiba scowled when he heard the familiar voice of that blond kid from the other class.

_" Oh, and what's the little Girl Scout gonna do? Huh? The last time, you caught me off my guard, this time, you won't be so lucky!" _

_" Tell you what, tough guy. How about I do this!!" _

A howl of pain echoed through the hall and the classroom and Kaiba smirked to himself.

_So she took what I said to heart. _He thought smugly.

Sonja walked in a few minutes later, a bolder look on her face as she made her way to her seat. She turned and looked in his direction. Their eyes met for the briefest moment before she turned away and sat down, taking out the strange brown book.

Instantly, everyone started whispering.

" Isn't that the one who challenged Kaiba?"

" Yeah, I heard he destroyed her, and then some! But she put up a fight."

" Ah, what was she thinking? She's just an amateur from Osaka. This game is still brand new out there. There's no way she could stand a fair chance against him!"

Kaiba listened vaguely to their conversation. He smiled grimly and looked at the clock.

" Hey, Kaiba!" Joey called. He turned.

" Someone call me?" he sneered at him.

" Yeah. What's with the smug look all of sudden? You happy that that weirdo girl just beat the heck out of that kid?"

" It's strange." Yugi said from behind Joey. " I wonder where she learned to fight like that."

" Take a guess." Kaiba said. Joey blinked at him. " Huh? You mean _you_ taught her that!?!"

" Not what she did specifically, but yes, I did teach her. And I must say, she's much faster than you are, Wheeler."

Joey started to turn red from anger before Tristan pulled him back.

" Cool it man, he's probably bluffing."

" No." came a small voice from the back. They all turned. Sonja had her brown tattered book out. " No, he's not bluffing." She repeated, turning a page. She picked up her pencil and scribbled something down before shutting the book again.

" Wha—?? Since when does he help anyone!?" Joey exclaimed in shock. Kaiba just hummed and turned away. Sonja looked up at Joey. " Please calm down." She said silently. " It doesn't do to arouse everyone's anger like this."

" What's with the sudden change in attitude?" Joey asked, confused. Sonja sighed and shook her head. Gradually, they lost interest in her and turned away.

Kaiba looked back at her. She was doing it again, forcing everyone to immediately assume she was nothing interesting by acting such.

As he watched, she took something out of her case beside her and then tore a page from her notebook. She wrote something down on it, folded it several times and then, to his surprise, reached up and removed her hair-tie, causing her hair to fall in snowy waves down her back. She wrapped the paper around the object and sealed it in place with the tie—just as the teacher walked in. Before he started speaking, she raised her hand.

" Um, yes, Miss Gavens?"

" Forgive me, sir. But may I please be excused to the restroom. I know I should have gone there before class started and I will try to remember next time." She said.

_She's good._ Kaiba thought dryly.

" Fine, Miss Gavens, but be quick about it."

" Yes sir." She said. She got up. Rather than go around the front of the room, she went around the back, her right hand held loosely beside her. As she passed Kaiba's desk, she dropped the object on the floor beside him and continued on, her expression unchanging. She disappeared out the door. Apparently, no one noticed her little performance and Kaiba knew exactly what she'd dropped. He moved his eyes about, searching for any sign that anyone had noticed. The last thing he needed was everyone knowing he'd been given a note by the very same person he'd crushed in a duel two days before.

After a few minutes of waiting, Sonja reappeared and returned to her desk. To look convincing, she'd placed her hands in the water fountain. When the teacher gave her a questioning look, she smiled and said, " The paper towels were out." She explained before returning to her seat. She sat down, but didn't look at Kaiba.

_She really is good. _He thought again. So far, she was going to good lengths to hide the note to equal his desire to hide it. After a few more minutes of waiting, he shifted his book around, causing it to fall to the floor. He groaned in frustration and bent to pick it up, taking hold of the tiny object as well. He picked them up and set them back on his desk, opening the textbook and turning to a random page. He already knew most of what was in his book thanks to his stepfather's insisting that he study constantly to prepare to inherit the company someday. Taking out a piece of paper, he pretended to copy notes as he quickly unfolded the note from what turned out to be a pearl marble. He set her black hair-tie down beside him, glancing up at everyone around him. No one was watching. He unfolded the note and set it before him, setting his pencil tip atop the paper to make it look as though he were writing what the teacher was saying, when he was actually reading what she wrote.

Kaiba,

As I am sure you are aware, I am still seventeen.

This means I am still in heavy danger of being separated from Sophie and put in a home. Last night, soon after you departed, another officer came to our door, demanding that we go with him. To confirm, I asked for his badge. It was real. As always, I challenged him to a duel, but without my beloved Hyozanryu, I barely won our freedom, at least for now. But I refuse to take back the card. You won it, fair and square and you duel more fairly than any other I have ever met, therefore, I have developed a great respect for you. This is why I am begging you from the bottom of my heart to help us. I can't bear to leave, and the officers are getting mad enough to truly take Sophie away from me as a form of sick 'punishment'.

I cannot risk saying any more here, for if it's discovered, everyone will know. I won't betray your kindness toward me, as you seem to enjoy getting on everyone's nerves. I won't give them a reason to taunt you as well. Please, though. If it suits your best interests, find me after school. Oh, and once you read this, destroy it somehow.

Thank you.

Sonja Gavens

P.S. I'll need the hair-tie and the marble back.

Kaiba hummed and crumpled the paper up, staring at the blackboard. He couldn't believe what a risk she'd taken by writing all of that. It was a good thing no one noticed.

He chanced a glance over at her. Once again, she was reading her brown book. And once again, she had that strange happy smile on her face. Usually, she looked so darkened, she didn't look like herself when she smiled. But, what did he know, he figured.

//ooo//

Later, after school had finally gotten out, Kaiba had finally decided that, what the heck? He might as well wait. He had nothing else to do that afternoon, he'd finished all his top priorities and had a little time to kill for once. He stood out of sight of all the other students behind a tree, watching the door. He wondered what she'd want to tell him. From what he'd read in the note, it was definitely bad news.

Gradually, the school emptied. There were only two students in the school with white hair and Sonja and Bakura were those two students. She wasn't too hard to spot. She came out of the school alone, glancing around. She lifted her wrist to look at her watch and sighed. He saw Yugi approach and ask her something. She appeared flustered and shook her head. He shrugged and waved goodbye as he ran to join his friends.

Finally, she looked around to make sure no one was left and then she took a few steps further.

" Hello? Are you there?" she called. " I don't think anyone's suspicious. But I waited to be sure, just in case."

He stepped out from behind the tree, and approached her. " What did you want?" he asked.

" About that note." She said. " Sorry, but it was urgent. It's true, soon after you left, another one came to the door and this one was different." She said.

" How so?" he questioned.

" I can't really describe him. But he said that Sophie and I were to come with him. I told him the same thing I've told all the others, that I'd duel him for our freedom. He agreed. We held the duel outside by the water. But he pulled something weird."

" Like what?"

Sonja appeared uncomfortable. " After several turns passed, he seemed to grow confidant, though I had the duel won after only six turns. After I demanded to know what he was so happy about, he went and showed me his whole hand."

Kaiba's eyes went wide. " And what was he holding?"

Sonja shivered and looked away. " All five pieces of Exodia." She replied. Kaiba gasped and just stared at her. " What?! You still managed to win, even though he held Exodia?"

" Yeah, I used a Card Destruction just before he got them onto the field. But that was a real close duel. I almost lost. But, the worst part is, even after I won, he still tried to take us. Sophie probably explained I'm a fast runner. I managed to get us both back into the house in time and we barricaded the door and windows. But now I'm afraid to be out. This guy seemed so familiar, and he really didn't look like your typical officer." Sonja said.

Kaiba hummed and glanced away in thought. " Have you reported this?" he asked. She shook her head. " No. You're the only one in this whole city I trust with this kind of information. Truth is, I don't think he was an officer at all. I almost didn't leave for school today. I almost made Sophie stay home, but she really wanted to go and I can't afford to miss anymore work. I'm not going to open the shop today." She said.

" You shouldn't open it, period." He said. " Remember, my company is purchasing the shop and you should be packing it up."

" That's right, I'd forgotten." Sonja said. " Hmm. I'll go after school, and I'll try to get what I can done before it gets dark."

She looked at him. " Thanks." She said.

She turned away.

" Where are you going?" he asked her. She looked back. " I don't want to walk home today. I'm going to try to get a ride if anyone's left. If not, I know a few back-roads I can take to get to the elementary school and pick up Sophie."

" Come on." He said. Sonja gave him a look of confusion. " Huh?"

" Come on." He repeated. " You're coming with me, lets' go."

" But, I don't—" she said. He cut her off. " I drove myself today, so I'm taking you. Come on."

He turned and started off. Sonja, seeing no other option, shrugged and followed after him.

" What about your brother?"

" He goes separately than I do. My driver will pick him up."

" I still need to get my sister." Sonja said. " I think she goes to the same school as he does."

" Does she wait for you?" he asked, keeping his eyes forward.

" Usually. If she isn't outside, she's inside talking with her teacher about her assignments. The one time she wasn't in either place was when she went with Mokuba a couple of days ago." Sonja explained.

" Then she can do so, again." He said. " I can have someone drop her off at your house, later." He said, keeping his voice monotone.

" Thanks. About what I said when I didn't want her to be friends with him, I changed my mind. She's never had any real friends before because we're always moving or keeping a low profile."

" Hm." He replied.

They reached a parking place beside the curb and he went around to the driver's side, unlocked the door and opened it. He looked up. " Get in." he said. She appeared hesitant, but did as he said. She closed the door and set her case on her lap, staring at the dashboard. It was a nice car, kind of obsidian color. She listened while he started the engine and pulled away from the curb.

She was so deep in thought, she didn't hear him make a call to his driver, informing him he'd have an extra passenger that day, a little girl with turquoise hair. She didn't hear until he'd said her name. She looked up.

" Yeah?"

" Where did you learn to play Duel Monsters?"

" Um, I learned it from my dad. He was real into the game. He's the one who gave me the Hyozanryu and the different cards I used to power it up."

" Such as?"

" Well, Dragon's Gunfire, The Dragon's Bead, um…Flute of Summoning Dragon, to get it onto the field, Mountain Terrain, and Lord of Dragons. That sort of thing."

" I didn't see some of those in your deck the other day." He remarked.

" I don't take real valuable cards to school, in case my deck is stolen. That's why I usually lose school duels. I always left Hyozanryu at home, as well."

" I still have that card." He said.

" Good." She replied.

" I don't need it." He pointed out.

" …Neither do I." She said. " You won it, fair and square. If you're going to give it back, don't bother. I won't accept it."

He could hear the disappointment in her voice. She wanted her card back. It was her most powerful monster. But her honor wouldn't let her accept it.

" I said I don't need it. Open the glove-box." He said. She blinked in confusion, but did as she was told. Inside, the only thing was the Hyozanryu card. She gasped and shut the compartment again.

" Take it." He ordered.

" No. I don't want it back." She said, folding her arms.

" I have no need of it, Sonja." He grumbled. " I have three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. I don't need that card."

" I don't need my Hyozanryu to win duels." She insisted.

He stopped at a red light, reached across and opened the glove box, took the card out and shoved it into her hands. " I said, take it." He snapped.

Sonja bowed her head, fingering the card in her lap. Nothing more was said on the matter.

He pulled up beside the shop and she grabbed her case handle.

" When will I know the finalization on the shop?" she asked.

" When I come to take you to the new location tomorrow." He said tonelessly.

" Tomorrow? That quick?" she exclaimed.

" Yes, and you'd better be ready."

Sonja nodded. " Right. Um, thanks for the ride. See you later, Kaiba."

She got out and headed to her front steps. He pulled away and drove off.

Sonja opened her front door and stepped inside. But she was smirking.

" I left the card on the seat." She murmured triumphantly. " I told him I wouldn't take it back."

//ooo//

Kaiba's mind was full as he made his way to his headquarters. Well, this was a first. Offering someone he hated a ride home. Maybe it was because he still minimally sympathized with her for her life. It didn't matter. As soon as she turned eighteen, he wouldn't have to dwell on it any longer.

A little while later, he arrived in his office and found Sophie and Mokuba once again debating on what to watch.

" Hey, Seto!" Mokuba called. " Thanks for letting Sophie come back. Guess you and Sonja are getting along now, huh?"

" Hardly." Kaiba replied, sitting down at his desk and starting his computer.

" But Mr. Kaiba, you offered to move us into the city by buying our shop. How come you two are still fighting?"

" My reasons are my own." He replied again. Sophie sighed.

" That's what he said last time." She mumbled. She turned back to him.

" Are we going to be moving away from that place soon?" she asked. " I hate where we are."

Without looking up, Kaiba replied, " I'm taking Sonja to the shop's new location tomorrow, if that satisfies your curiosity." He said.

" That means he's trying to get to work." Said Mokuba. Sophie nodded.

" Okay. Sorry for disturbing you, sir." She said.

Kaiba glanced at a manila folder on his desk beside his computer. It was the same folder that held the ownership files on Sonja's shop. He'd already had his company lawyers look over it. By tomorrow, the shop would be legally owned by KaibaCorp.

It occurred to him, then. He and Sonja hadn't worked out a price. How could he be so stupid? For once, he was attempting to save another from ending up like he and Mokuba and it was clouding his judgment. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea. In any case, he'd have to discuss what she wanted. He supposed he could ask her about it tomorrow when he took her to the new location only a block away.

His computer finished resetting itself and he opened up what he'd saved the day before.

Time to put other things aside. He had work to do.

A/N: I can't stop fussing about whether Kaiba truly is in character. I've gotten the hang of writing his personality since I started this. I just hope this story stays on track.


	8. A Shaky Encounter

A/N: Well, I'll have much more time to update now. I got fired, so I have some more free time. I suppose I just wasn't cut out to work at the register. Anyway, enjoy this new chapter. And remember what I said about Sonja; let me know if she starts to resemble a Mary-Sue. I do NOT want that.

A Shaky Encounter

School the next day was routine as usual. Kaiba made his way to his classroom. He spotted Sonja further down the hallway, struggling with her locker. After tugging on the handle a moment, she banged on the metal surface, only for it to snap open and hit her in the face. Kaiba sighed and shook his head.

A few minutes later, he found himself listening to Yugi and his friends talk about whatever.

" Yeah," Yugi said. " Maybe that duelist wasn't Sonja. I just heard of another random attack out in Osaka."

" How could that be?" Tea asked. " The cards Sonja used against Kaiba were identical to what was on that list that Tristan had."

Joey crossed his arms. " Whoever that duelist is, now I'm not so sure it's really Sonja. Maybe it was coincidence is all."

Kaiba hummed and tuned them out, focusing on the clock as he always did. But he found himself growing angry when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see two boys staring at him from the row next to his.

" What do you nerds want?" he demanded.

" Hey, how bad did you beat her, huh?" the right one with dark hair asked.

" Yeah, did you pull the Blue-Eyes thing?" the other one piped up.

" Decide for yourselves, dweebs." She said irritably. In other words, "no duh, what do think?"

They exchanged glances and quickly departed.

" See, I told you he'd beat her! Cough up that money you owe me!"

" Ah, man! I was hoping she'd win."

Kaiba shook his head again. " Morons." He mumbled.

Sonja came into class seconds before the bell rang and took her seat. He watched her a moment, but then turned away.

" Hey," someone behind him whispered to someone across the isle. " I hear there's a new Egyptian exhibit coming to the museum. Are you going?"

" Yeah, maybe. I'll have to see."

" Egypt?" Kaiba heard Sonja exclaim. He turned around. He was surprised to see her whip the little brown book out and open it, write something down and then leaf through the different pages until she'd settled on a page, leaning her head on her upraised hand and smiling softly.

_What is that book?_ He wondered. _Every time she takes it out, her entire outlook changes drastically. _

The teacher walked in and set his case on his desk. " Good morning, class." He said. " Today, I have a special treat. I'm sure you all have heard about the Egyptian exhibit coming to the museum next week, the same week as summer break. Well, today, I'm going to—"

But Kaiba drowned out what he was saying. It was some new project on something to do with ancient Egypt. He scowled. Who cares about the past? It's all ancient history. The point was to focus on the future. He glanced at Sonja. Judging by the faraway look in her eyes as she gazed out the window, playing with her long ponytail absently, he guessed she felt the same.

He took out his notebook, turning to a blank page and beginning a new project. No one knew of a secret talent he'd always kept under his hat, even when he was a kid. He'd secretly loved to draw and constantly sketched his favorite monster, The Blue-Eyes White Dragon. But lately, he'd decided to try his hand at sketching a new dragon instead, since he could now beat Pegasus at designing the Blue-Eyes. He'd started attempting the Hyozanryu card that he'd found on the passenger seat this morning on the way to school. He couldn't believe she wouldn't take it back. What did he have to do to convince her it was useless to him?

He hummed to himself as he focused on the dragon slowly coming to life in his notebook.

//ooo//

Kaiba stood by the same tree outside. But he didn't hide himself this time. It wouldn't seem suspicious if he just informed Sonja of the time he'd be arriving to take her to the location of the new shop when she'd be transferring in a few days.

When she appeared, he flagged her down with a glance and she slowly made her way over.

" Yeah?" she said once she was within hearing range.

" I'm taking you to the new location this afternoon. Be ready when I arrive." He said, turning away.

" Wait, when is that?" she asked.

" Six." He replied.

" Uh, sure." She said. She walked away. She frowned. " Hmm. Why is he helping me?" she wondered aloud.

" Why is who helping you?" a familiar voice asked. She looked up. Yugi and his friends were staring at her. She gulped. _Uh-oh. Busted. _

" Uh, n-nothing, nothing at all." She said. She turned to go, but the one called Tristan stepped in her path. " Hey, we only want to know who's finally helping you. From what Sophie told us at the duel the other day, it sounds like you're finally gonna make it up the ladder."

Sonja glared. " I don't think I should tell that." She said.

" Hey, you can trust us." The one named Tea declared. Sonja sighed. " I don't know if he'd want me to tell you guys."

" Who is it?" The blond loud-mouthed one spoke up. Sonja fidgeted her books in her arms. " Well, it's…."

" Yeah?" Tristan probed.

" It's Kaiba." Sonja said at last. They all stared at her incredulously.

" Kaiba?!" Joey yelled. " He's the one helping you?"

" Yeah." Sonja answered. " He came to my house the other day and sorta talked me into selling him my shop. He's closing the deal as we speak and he's going to take me to the new location later today. Sophie and I will be transferring over there sometime this week."

" What do you sell?" Tea asked. Sonja looked away, a bitter expression on her face. " Please guys, don't say anything to him. I'm surprised enough as it is and I keep thinking this is too good to be true. I was so glad something was finally happening, I didn't even mind when we didn't agree on a price."

" Our lips are sealed, Sonja." Yugi said with a meaningful look at Joey. Joey crossed his arms. " What? Why's everyone looking at me?"

" Because you have the biggest mouth." Tristan said. Joey grimaced and waved his fist in Tristan's face. " Watch it, tough guy!! Or I'll loosen some teeth for ya!"

While Tristan calmed Joey down, Sonja faced Tea and Yugi. " Um, I sell…uh, I…" she sighed. " I sell…fauna."

Joey paused in his tirade and stared at her. " You sell baby deer?"

" No idiot," Tea snapped. " She sells plants."

" To be precise," Sonja said uncomfortably. " Flowers."

" Well," Yugi said. " That explains the different flowers in your hair everyday."

Joey started snickering. " Mph!! Kaiba bought your flower shop?? Oh boy, this is too good to pass up!!"

" NO!" Sonja cried. " You promised you wouldn't say anything! I was about to sell out anyway because my business was bad. I'm thankful he gave me the offer!"

" But I thought you hated him." Tea said. Sonja tilted her head sideways.

" Eh, he wasn't what I thought he'd be. He…he reminded me of someone I once knew. I just thought he was…oh, never mind. The point is, you can't say anything to him. Please. I can't lose this deal, now."

Tea and Yugi nodded and Joey grumbled, but he gave his promise he wouldn't say anything.

" Can I once it's all finished?" he asked hopefully. Sonja shook her head.

" No. Once the deal pulls through, my shop will be owned by his company and be funded each month to stay open. He could easily sever all connections."

Joey growled. " Argh! He's gonna hear about it eventually! Maybe not this year, or the next, but someday!!"

Sonja smiled and rolled her eyes.

" I gotta get going. I have to pick up Sophie." She explained. As she turned to leave, she looked back. " Don't tell!" she reminded them. And then, she was gone.

Yugi frowned and stared at the ground. Tea noticed and looked down at him. " Hey, what's wrong Yugi?" she asked.

" It doesn't make any sense." Yugi explained.

" What?" Tea asked.

" Why would Kaiba offer to buy Sonja's shop in the first place? Obviously, he knows what she sells now, but still, why would he insist on going through with the purchase? It doesn't add up."

" Yeah." Tristan agreed. " Sure doesn't sound like the Kaiba we know."

" I wonder why the abrupt change?" Tea said.

//ooo//

Sonja leaned against the wall of the school, singing softly and waiting for her sister.

" _The last that ever she saw him,_

_carried away by a moonlight shadow. _

_He passed on worried and wanting, _

_Carried away by a moonlight shadow. _

_Lost in a river last Saturday night,_

_Far away on the other side, _

_He was caught in the middle of a desperate fight, _

_And she couldn't find how to push through, _

_The trees that whisper in the evening, _

_Carried away by a moonlight shadow, _

_Sing a song of sorrow and grieving, _

_Carried away by a moonlight shadow. _

_All she saw was the silhouette of a gun, _

_Far away on the other side, _

_He was shot six times by a man on the run_

_And she couldn't find how to push through. _

_I stay, I pray, see you in heaven, far away, _

_I stay, I pray, see you in heaven, one day! _

At that moment, the school dismissed its students and Sonja turned around toward the door, searching for the familiar turquoise mop of hair.

Sophie exited the school walking with her friend, Mokuba. They were chatting about something and didn't notice until Sophie had walked right into Sonja.

" Oh, hey sis!" she said. " Sorry. Didn't see you."

" Don't worry." Sonja said cheerfully.

" Wow." Mokuba exclaimed. " You're awfully happy today. Something good happen?"

" Yes." Sonja exclaimed. " Sophie and I are getting a second chance."

" Oh right! Seto bought the shop and he's moving it closer to headquarters. I guess that's a reason to celebrate!"

" You bet." Sonja exclaimed. She glanced at Sophie. " Sophie, I have a surprise for you, right now." She said. " I checked my stash and I have enough for a celebratory soda on the way home. How about it?"

Sophie beamed. " All right!! Can Mokuba come, too?"

" He'll have to ask his brother." Sonja replied.

" No problem. Roland usually has a phone with him." Mokuba said, referring to the driver who picked him up. He ran to the curb where the car already was and opened the door.

" Hey, Roland." Mokuba said.

" Good afternoon, sir." Roland replied. " We'd better get going."

" I wanted to call my brother and ask if I can go with a new friend of mine." Mokuba said. Roland nodded and handed him the cell phone. Mokuba dialed his brother's number and waited. After three rings, it picked up.

_" KaibaCorp. Headquarters." _

" Hey bro." Mokuba said. " I wanted to ask you something. Sophie invited me to come and visit for a bit. Is that all right?"

_" I suppose. I'm going over there later, anyway." _

" Cool. Thanks a ton, Seto."

Mokuba hung up and thanked Roland. He got out of the car and hurried back over to Sonja. " He says okay." Mokuba announced. Sophie smiled. " Cool! Are you sure it's all right, Sonja?"

Sonja nodded. " Of course. I'm happy you made a new friend."

" But Sonja, didn't you say we couldn't be friends, anymore?" Mokuba asked. Sonja sighed and looked away. " I apologize for that, Mokuba. I thought your brother was someone he apparently isn't, so I overreacted. My duel with him taught me otherwise. Sophie's happy, and that's enough for me. Besides, I'm quickly becoming fond of you."

Mokuba and Sophie laughed. Sophie looked at her sister. " Well, Sonja, let's get going!"

" Right. I should have just enough for one for each of us." She said.

//ooo//

She bought each of them a soda at a small café and got herself a lemon-iced tea. They sat down outside at one of the tables. Sophie sipped her diet coke carefully, savoring the taste. Mokuba figured this was an ultra special occasion. Sonja took a small drink of hers.

" How come you didn't get a soda, Sonja?" Mokuba asked.

" Soda does weird things to me." Sonja explained. " I get sick whenever I drink it. I guess it's the carbonation that does it. So tell me, how'd you meet Sophie?"

" She lent me her pencil when mine broke. We just kinda started talking, I guess." Mokuba said. " Most of the other kids are afraid to talk to me. My brother seems to intimidate them a little."

" I don't blame them." Sonja said. " He sure intimidated me when I first met him."

" But you challenged him to a duel. He's famous all over the world for his dueling." Mokuba pointed out. Sonja shrugged.

" I know. But I haven't dueled in ages, and I suppose I just didn't recognize who he was. I honestly don't know what caused me to do that."

Mokuba smiled. " You remind me a little of what Seto was like before he became president of the company."

Sonja raised an eyebrow. " Huh?"

" Uh, never mind." Mokuba said.

Sonja sighed and looked up—just in time to see two men stalk over to their table. They were dressed in black clothing, obviously Goths. One of them had a single silver hoop earring in his left ear. Mokuba and Sophie stared while Sonja turned in her chair, her face stony. " Can I help you two?" she asked casually. Mokuba was amazed at how quickly she could change gears.

" Yeah. Hand over all your money and your dueling cards." The one with the earring sneered. His partner reached around and snatched Mokuba's and Sophie's hair. " Or we'll take the kids instead."

Sonja stood up, her eyes blazing. " Those kids are my responsibility. I won't let you harm them. And for your information, all the money I had was used just now and you're welcome to my deck, though I left all of my _good_ cards at home."

She handed him her dueling deck from her bag. The guy leafed through it, grimacing as he did. " These useless things stink!" he yelled. " You couldn't beat a grade-schooler!"

" I told you, I left all of my good cards at home. I anticipate creeps like you. Now, since we have nothing you want, take a hike, buster!"

The guy snarled and whipped his hand out to grab her. Sonja's eyes narrowed and she sidestepped him, using the momentum to slam her already raised ankle straight into his shin. The guy howled in pain and staggered back as his partner snatched Mokuba out of his chair. " Hold it, sissy!" he yelled. " One more move, and it's lights out for him!"

" Sonja!" Mokuba gasped as the guy held him by the throat. Sonja bowed her head. " I guess you have me cornered." She said in a too-high voice. The guy smirked and started toward her. Sonja jerked her head up suddenly, whipped her hand to the right and upturned the table and one chair onto him, smacking him in the forehead, jarring loose his grip on Mokuba. Sonja dashed forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him away while Sophie followed. While Sophie inquired upon whether Mokuba was all right, Sonja stepped between the two and her charges.

" Go away, and you won't be hurt." She growled. She glanced at Sophie and Mokuba. " Sophie, start running toward home. I'll catch up." She hissed.

" Right, sis. Come on, Mokuba. We gotta get out of here."

" But what about Sonja?" he asked as they broke into a fast run in the opposite direction. Sophie beamed. " Sonja took karate while we were in Osaka. She made it pretty far, though she had to drop out so we could move again."

While they got away, Sonja glared at her opponents.

" Well? What's it gonna be?" she said. She took a menacing step forward.

" How about we shut you up?" the one with the earring snapped, cracking his knuckles. Sonja flashed a mysterious smile. " You gotta catch me first. I have my sister and her friend to worry about, first."

With that, she turned and dashed off, leaving them stunned—just in time for the storeowner to come out, angry at the damage of his property.

//ooo//

Back at Sonja's house, Sonja wet a washcloth and handed it to Mokuba, who'd had some hair yanked out rather painfully.

" Thanks, Sonja." He said. Sophie sat beside him. " I'm glad we got away. They were scary. Good thing you were there, huh, Sonja?"

Sonja smiled and turned away. " Guess we didn't get to finish our sodas, guys." She said dejectedly. " But there'll be a next time."

" Yeah." Sophie said. " It sure was good, though."

Sonja looked at the clock. " Hmm. A quarter to five. Kaiba said he'd pick me up at about six to see the new shop location. You guys can go to the water if you want. I have some old bread you can give to the sea gulls."

" Great!" Sophie exclaimed. " How about it, Mokuba? Do you want to feed the sea gulls?"

" Sure, sounds fun!"

Sonja handed them a bag that had several stale slices of bread in it. " Just be careful. They can get greedy." She warned. Sophie nodded. " Okay."

" He might get here before you two get back, so I'll leave a note if he does. Remember where the spare key is." Sonja said.

" Okay, sis." Sophie replied. " Come on, Mokuba, let's go!"

They hurried outside and shut the door. Sonja sighed and reached into a cupboard to her left. She pulled out a pad and some pens. Then she took a seat at the table.

" Finally, I can get some work done." She whispered. She started to write.

_Sophia had no idea what lay beyond the cavern, only that she had to cross through in order to escape her pursuer. As the beast's snarls echoed throughout the cave, Sophia gasped and, seeing no other choice if she wished to live, took off into the darkness. _

//ooo//

Sonja had twenty pages written when she heard a knock on the door. She got up and opened it.

" Hello." She said in greeting. Kaiba said nothing. " Are you coming?"

" Sure. Let me leave a note real quick."

She returned to the table and set her book aside while she scribbled a note to Sophie. Kaiba glanced at what she'd written and read the first two paragraphs.

_Hm. Not too shabby. _He thought.

" Where's Mokuba?"

" He and Sophie went down to the water to feed the sea gulls." Sonja explained. " I told them I might be gone by the time they got back, but Sophie has a spare key. Also, I left some macaroni aside in case they got hungry. I thought of everything." She said. Kaiba hummed. " Fine. Now let's go."

Sonja nodded and followed after him.

Once back on the sidewalk again, he went around to the driver's side of his car and unlocked it. Sonja opened the other door and got inside, closing it. She folded her hands in her lap and waited while he started the engine and pulled away from the curb.

" Where exactly is the new location?"

" The center of town, a block or so away from the main building." Kaiba replied.

" Okay." She said.

" Also," he added. " I neglected to ask your offer."

" My offer? You mean my price? I hadn't really thought about it. I was so glad that something good might finally be coming out of owning this shop, it didn't cross my mind."

" Ten thousand seems reasonable enough." He said. Sonja gasped sharply.

" No! That's much too much." She exclaimed, staring at him incredulously.

" Ten thousand is a paltry amount for a small shop." He said. " Yet for someone who can barely find enough for groceries, it's too much." He said with a mocking glance at her. She threw him a bitter look and focused her gaze on the door handle. " You don't have to point out my status in comparison to yours, Kaiba. I wasn't as lucky as you were."

" Luck had nothing to do with it, Sonja. I got where I am by myself. If you tried, you could probably make something out of your life."

Sonja frowned. " Why don't you just quit talking to me? You aren't really helping." She muttered.

" Suit yourself."

He stopped at a red light. When it turned green again, he started forward. Sonja glanced out the window on his side and her eyes went wide. She gasped and then lashed out, grabbing the wheel.

" Kaiba, Look out!!" she screamed. She lashed out and whipped the wheel to the right, causing the car to swerve violently just as an oncoming truck careened into them, smashing into the back passenger side of the car and then sending it straight at the building across the street, scattering passerby and crushing three windows. Following general shock of colliding with the building, Kaiba opened his eyes and swatted the partially inflated airbag away. He clutched the wheel with one hand, groaning as he tried to recompose himself. " Fool, that light was red." He grumbled. He moved his legs and arms a little to make sure nothing was broken. He didn't feel numb, so nothing was wrong with his back or neck. Apparently, he was bruised, but okay. He wouldn't be able to get out through his door though. He was trapped against the building they'd crashed into after the truck slammed into them.

That was when he remembered Sonja. He quickly looked over to the crushed wreck that had been the passenger side of the car. Sonja had her upper half curled over the gearshift and the rest of her pulled into a fetal position, barely escaping the crunched metal as it had been torn apart in the collision. She moaned in pain as she lifted herself up, trembling terribly. " Is it over?" she mumbled. Kaiba just stared at her, wide-eyed.

_She saved our lives by doing that. How could she have known what to do in that split second?_

" Anything broken?" he inquired monotone. Sonja sat up a little, still shaking. " I d-don't think so. B-But, one nice t-thing about roller c-coasters, n-n-now, they d-don't get into c-collisions."

Kaiba had to chuckle slightly at that. " Come on. We have to get out of here. There could be a gas leak." He said. Sonja nodded.

There was a crash in the back of the car and they both turned.

A bearded man was standing on the trunk of the ruined car, a hammer in gloved hands. " Hey, Mr. Kaiba and company." He greeted. " Glad to see you folks are okay. That was some crash."

" What happened?" Sonja asked.

" Nobody's been hurt, though there have been a couple of accidents. The guy driving that truck couldn't control it. His brake fluid started leaking somewhere back and he couldn't stop the car. He's okay, but he's been hysterical over you guys. Whichever one of you pulled that stunt with the steering wheel, that was brilliant. That crash would have crushed the both of you had it been dead on. Come on, let's get the two of you out of here."

A/N: That wasn't too odd, was it? I sorta came up with the idea out of nowhere. And I want to thank TheDuelist'sHeiress, ( and please, please forgive any spelling errors in your name-I'm extremely tired at present) for reading my story so diligently. I highly recommend any of her work to all of you Yu-Gi-Oh fans out there.


	9. The New Location

A/N: Sorry it took so long. I've been in Gettysburg, become the adopted mother to a stray kitten that arrived ( and also wandered off) and am preparing for my dad's annual visit tomorrow. People said the last chapter was a bit weird. I'm trying to emphasize that Kaiba's only human and even he can get into a car accident. 

The New Location

Within minutes, both Kaiba and Sonja were safely out of the wreck and they could then see the true extent of the damage to the car. The truck, even after hitting them had continued moving and had crunched the passenger side inward completely and the car's engine was smoking. Volunteers were using fire extinguishers and gushing the CO2 at the ruined engine. Just staring at it, Sonja started to shake again. He noticed. 

" Calm down." He snapped. 

" I've never been in a car accident before, all right! Just look at this, Kaiba, this could have killed us!" 

" But it didn't." the same man who'd broken the back window said, coming up behind them. " You two are pretty lucky. That's a tough car. Well, it was. I don't think there's much hope left for it, though." 

Sonja glanced at the wreck and another shiver went down her spine. 

The sound of rapid footsteps met their ears and they both turned. A young man about twenty-five was running toward them. 

" Are you guys all right? I am so sorry for ramming into you like that, I couldn't stop my truck!" he called frantically. 

" We seem to be okay." Sonja said. " Someone told us that your brake fluid was leaking." 

" Yeah. My old truck was a beat up piece of junk." The man said, shrugging. " One good thing, gives me an excuse to buy a new one. I'm just real sorry about that total." 

" We're still alive, that's what matters." Sonja said. She turned to Kaiba. He hadn't said a word. He just stared at nothing. Sonja cleared her throat nervously and looked away. " Well, um, thank you." She said. The man nodded and walked away toward his ruined heap of a truck. 

Sonja looked at Kaiba. " Now what?" 

" I'm calling my driver and we'll pretend this never happened." He said, taking out his cell phone and dialing a number. Sonja's face darkened. " Pretend it never happened? Are you insane, Kaiba? We could have been killed!" 

He pretended not to hear her as he informed his driver of the accident and requested they be picked up soon. Sonja sighed heavily. 

_Why did I even bother?_

/ooo/

After about fifteen minutes and having to dodge traffic due to the backup, someone finally arrived for them. Sonja was as hesitant as ever to go with him, but she had no other choice if she wanted to keep the deal in place. She'd sort of lied to Mokuba earlier. 

Kaiba_ still_ intimidated her. 

But she sure as heck wasn't going to let him know it. So when it came time to get in the car, she sat with her head held high, her eyes steely, refusing to show any emotion. Kaiba would glance at her occasionally, but he was still stuck on what she'd done in that second before the collision. 

_No one can think that fast in a situation like that. How can she be the exception?_

" Sir," the driver called back to them. " What happened, exactly?" 

" A mild collision. Nothing serious." Kaiba replied stonily. Sonja threw a glance at him. Of course it had been serious. He would have been killed had she not thrown the wheel in the other direction. And then, once she'd done that, _she_ would have been killed if she hadn't reacted in time. 

" Neither of you are injured, I hope." The driver said. 

" Not that we are aware of." Kaiba said. 

" Good." Was the reply. 

Sonja continued to stare out the window. She kept thinking what would have happened if she'd died. If Kaiba had died. What Mokuba and Sophie would have done now that their siblings had gone. Would Sophie go to a home? Would Mokuba prepare to inherit the company in his brother's memory? Or would he try to protect Sophie as she had done? 

She shook her head and scowled at her reflection. Nonsense was all it was, now. She and Kaiba were still very much alive, despite that accident. She glanced at him. She wondered what he was thinking about. Probably the usual, whatever that could be. 

" This is the place." He announced. Sonja glanced out the window. He looked over at her. " Let's go." He said. She opened her door and stepped out. He came around and approached the building, a slightly larger version of the building her shop currently resided in. 

" This is the new location of your shop." He said. Sonja came up behind him as he unlocked the door. He folded his arms. " After you." He said monotone. She shook her head, a wry expression on her face. " You're the only one I know who can pull off sarcastic politeness like that." She said. 

" Just go inside, already." He grumbled. 

" Fine." She said. She stepped inside and looked around. The floor and walls were covered in dust and the room was completely bare except for a few fallen shelves and a dusty display window that was all boarded up in the front of the store. There was a small back storage room and she saw that it could be possible to install a mist producer to keep flowers in there. She wandered through the room, gazing about at both the amount of space and the amount of cleaning she'd need to do, calculating the amount of supplies she'd need as she went. She turned around. Kaiba was standing by the door, watching her as she inspected the place. She smiled. " It's perfect." She said. 

" Good. The stairs to the second floor are out back. You can look at that, later. You have to start transferring immediately." 

Sonja nodded. " Right. I've already begun packing the stock. Once Sophie and I get the store shut down, we'll start on the second floor. That should take no time at all. But I only have one question." 

" What's that?" 

" Why are you doing this for us? If the rumors about you are true, and forgive me saying so, but they say you're somewhat cold-hearted." 

Kaiba regarded her coldly a minute. Then he turned around. " I simply saw a successful and profitable business disguised as a poorly run and badly advertised shack on the outskirts of town. That's all." He grumbled. Sonja had a distinct feeling that that wasn't all, but she didn't say anymore about it. 

" Well, whatever the reason, thank you, sir." She said. He stopped at this and turned around. " What'd you call me?" 

" Since your company now owns my shop, while I just run it, I suppose you're my boss now, right? What should I call you?" Sonja asked, leaning down to pick up a board lying on the ground. 

" It doesn't matter." He snapped. He then changed the subject. " How are you going to transport everything here?" 

" The same way I got everything here from Osaka." Sonja said. 

" And that is?" 

" Carefully." Was her cryptic answer. 

/ooo/

A week passed and Kaiba gradually forgot about Sonja and Sophie for the time being. During that week since he'd taken Sonja to the new location, something huge had happened to him. The Egyptian exhibit at the museum had a foreign curator of sorts looking after it. Her name was Ishizu Ishtar and she'd invited him to a special private meeting several days earlier, in which she'd told him some weird story about an ancient battle between a Pharaoh and a sorcerer. The strange thing was that the pharaoh and the sorcerer resembled Yugi and himself, in that order. To top it all off, she'd told him about three all-powerful cards Pegasus created called the Three Egyptian God Cards; The Winged Dragon of Ra, Slifer The Sky Dragon and Obelisk the Tormentor. Of all three, which had been stolen by robbers she called Rare Hunters, she'd managed to save one: Obelisk the Tormentor. This particular card she entrusted to him after encouraging him to organize a tournament and lure the Rare Hunters into the open. She'd lent him the card for him to use during the tournament, saying she expected it back. 

As Kaiba sat at the desk in his office, he glanced at the card in his hand. He smirked. Like he was ever going to return it so easily. He wanted to immediately start this tournament. It would also give him a chance to defeat Yugi, since the kid would obviously be entering the tournament as well. He'd make the announcement the following day once he got everything in order, the rules, the amount of improved Duel Disks he'd need to issue to the public, the locations of the finals and whatnot. He vaguely wondered if Sonja would enter the tournament. But he figured she'd be too busy with her shop for the next couple of weeks to put much serious thought into it. 

It was approaching September, though still August. Soon, Sonja would turn eighteen and then he wouldn't have to help her and Sophie anymore. He was only doing this to keep Mokuba happy because Mokuba was good friends with Sophie, Sonja's little sister. Still, he couldn't help but wonder about them. There was something about the two of them he still wasn't getting and he couldn't figure it out. 

At that moment, the phone rang and he picked it up. 

" KaibaCorp. Headquarters." 

" _Good evening, sir._" Sonja said on the other end. For some reason, formality sounded weird coming from her. She didn't seem like the type to willingly be inferior. He figured it was probably because she was his classmate. 

" What is it?" 

" _I've almost finished putting the shop together if you'd like to inspect it tomorrow._" 

" Maybe." Was his only blunt reply. 

" _All right. Thanks again._" 

He hung up and stared into space. His mind was full of random thoughts again. He wouldn't sleep much that night. 

/ooo/

The next day, Kaiba decided to see how Sonja's shop was coming along. He virtually had nothing else to do and Mokuba wanted to see Sophie. Besides, he was mildly curious as to how it was coming along. 

Mokuba walked beside him as they made their way toward where the two sisters now resided. Sophie had mentioned to Mokuba the other day when she came to visit after school that Sonja seemed happier than she had in years. And she hadn't been sad to say goodbye to Mrs. Hopkins, though she'd left a bunch of semi-wilted tulips on her front door. Kaiba had sent the balance of the price for Sonja's shop to her via mail. Now it was time to see the result. 

As they approached the shop, they saw a medium-sized ladder out front with Sonja on top. She was dressed in a plain pair of blue jeans and a red sleeveless top with her hair tied back in a messy braid. She had a gallon of bright red paint beside her as she painted letters on the window with stencils. 

" Hey, Sonja." Mokuba called. She started and looked down. 

" You scared me." She said. " I was concentrating on this and didn't hear you." 

" What's the sign say?" Mokuba asked. 

" Kind of a corny title, but Sophie seemed to like it. _'Gaven's Flower Emporium'_." 

" Not too bad." Mokuba replied. Sonja smiled. " Thanks. I got the inside just about put together. Just today, I got two orders. One for a wedding shower and one for a funeral." 

" Impressive for the first week." Kaiba stated. 

" Thanks." Sonja replied. He made a face. That had been meant as a rank. Sonja jumped down from the ladder. " Come on inside." She said. " Sophie's around here somewhere." 

Inside the shop, Sonja had washed the floors and the window and had placed several display bouquets inside on the wooden platform behind the window. Flowers of all kinds were placed in different arrays throughout the room, in cabinets, in vases and on shelves and hanging fixtures. 

" I even added some potted ferns." She said. She went around behind her desk and picked up a lily sitting on the counter. She pinned it into her braid and leaned on the counter. " Well? Does it win your approval, sir?" she asked Kaiba. 

" Stop calling me that. It sounds odd." He snapped, staring about the room. 

Mokuba looked at Sonja. " Why are you having problems with how to address my brother?" 

" Well, I sort of work for him, now. My shop is owned by KaibaCorp, so I'm not sure, anymore." 

Mokuba looked at his brother. " Can she just call you Seto like I do?" he asked. 

" It doesn't matter." Kaiba replied irritably. Mokuba smiled at Sonja. " I think you're all set." He declared. Sonja appeared uncomfortable. " It'll take some getting used to." She admitted. " The only people I've ever addressed informally are you and Sophie, Mokuba." 

" Hey, we're your friends, now." Mokuba said. Sonja considered this a moment. Then she turned away and picked up a long stick from the floor. She raised it up and rapped on the ceiling. " Sophie! Come down!" she called. A loud thumping overhead signaled Sophie's rapid footsteps. As she ran through the door, she almost ran into Kaiba. " Sorry." She exclaimed. " Hey, Mokuba! How's it going?" 

" Great, Sophie! The shop looks terrific!" 

" Awesome! I think we'll get to stay in one place, this time!" Sophie cried happily. Sonja smiled. " Hey, Sophie. I need you to make a delivery." She said, putting a bouquet of bright blood roses on the counter, lined with a wreath of Baby's Breath and two large lilies rising from the center. Sophie folded her arms. " What's in it for me?" 

" Drop the sass and I'll let you have the tip." Sonja grumbled, putting a hand on her waist. " Get moving, Sophie. We have two orders to fill. That right there is for the wedding shower on East street. I'll have the one for the funeral ready in about an hour." 

Sophie picked up the bouquet, struggling slightly as she got it off-balance. 

" Right away, sis! Oof! We really need to get a wagon." 

" I'll put that on our calendar for next week." Sonja replied. " I agree. I'll do most of the deliveries myself, but you get every tip for the ones you do." 

" Great!" Sophie gasped as she staggered to the door. 

" Hey, let me help you!" Mokuba called. He caught the bouquet just as it was about to fall. Sophie sighed in relief. " Thanks, Mokuba." 

" Seto, I'm gonna help Sophie with this delivery. It's really heavy." Mokuba said to his brother. With that, he left. 

Sonja turned away, grimacing. _Oh great. Thanks, Sophie. You left me alone with this guy. It isn't that I don't like him or anything, he's just intimidating. _

" Business is picking up, I see." Kaiba stated, approaching the counter. Sonja turned around in the process of stripping a dead rose of its leaves to use for lining. " Yes. Because of your idea to move the shop this far into the city, everyone now knows about my business." 

She paused as her phone rang. " Excuse me one second…Hello, Gaven's Flower Emporium, Sonja speaking. How may I help you?" 

He watched while she pulled out her writing pad and copied something down. " Okay. Right. Of course. I'll have it ready within a half hour. Yes, thank you. Bye, now." 

She hung up, beaming. " I can't believe this! Only a day and a half I've been officially open and already orders are flying in." 

She went around the counter and started picking out flowers. " I need a couple of Morning Glories, and maybe some Bluebells, oh, and I can't forget Lilacs. And some Spruce branches." 

She returned to her space behind the counter, took out a plastic vase with a little thimble of water on the end for the flowers to use. She gingerly arranged them into an artistic fashion, placing a lining of Baby's Breath around the outside and the array of flowers on the inside. Then, once she'd finished, she stepped back to admire her work. " I love this." She said. She turned and went back into the storage room. " I even got a special cooler to keep the bouquets I finish, in. So they'll stay fresh for when they're picked up or delivered." She called. She returned to her place behind the counter and sat down on her stool. " I even have time for a little leisure work." She said. She opened the laptop and waited for it to load. 

" Leisure work?" he questioned. She froze up, her eyes wide. " U-uh, nothing, Seto." 

" Why did you call me that?" he asked. 

" Well, Mokuba said it," she said, glad for a change of subject. " If the four of us are sort of friends now, is it all right?" 

" You can call me whatever you want. But I don't need friends." He snapped. Sonja sighed and shook her head. " Everyone needs a friend, Seto, even you." 

" Hm. I doubt it." He replied. 

She hummed and started typing on her keyboard. 

" What are you writing?" he asked. 

" It's…personal work." She answered. 

" As in…?" 

She blushed. " I'm not very proud of what I write." She admitted. " I…I write books." 

His eyes widened a fraction. " Books?" 

" Novels." She said. " I've been working on one called, 'Light Twixt' the Shadows'. I hope to get it published someday." 

She resumed working. " I don't get much time to work on it, especially now. I usually write down ideas on my trusty notepad, here. But as you can see, it's running low on pages." 

The door opened. Both turned and Kaiba froze up when he saw that it was one of Yugi's friends, Tea. She was too busy looking around, she didn't notice Kaiba. When she did, she stopped. " Kaiba? What are you doing here?" she asked. Sonja was relieved that Tea was likely feigning surprise. 

For once, Kaiba couldn't think of a suitable excuse for him being in a flower shop. He glared at her. " I purchased this shop recently and was checking up on its status." He grumbled. 

" Oh, I get it." Tea said. " Oh, hi, Sonja. You own this shop?" she said with a wink once she was facing Sonja. 

" Uh, yeah, Tea. Well, technically he owns it now, but I still work here. Can I help you with something?" 

" Yeah. I need just a small bouquet of Lilies. It's a birthday present for my mom." She explained. Sonja nodded. " Coming right up, Tea." 

Tea watched as she moved about the shop, gathering the finest Lilies and green fern lining. These she took back to her counter and arranged them in a plastic vase. She then reached under the counter and pulled out a bright blue bow which she then tied around the flowers, arranging so the folds aligned. She then handed the bouquet to Tea. " Would you like a card as well? Those are added special and cost nothing." 

" I already have one, but thanks." Tea said. " How much will that be?" 

" Seven-fifty." Sonja replied. 

" Not too bad." Tea said, pulling a ten from her pocket. Sonja gave her the change. 

" Thanks a lot, Sonja." Tea said. 

" No problem." Sonja replied. Tea left. Sonja sat down again, leaning on the counter. " I love this so much. I finally feel like I belong somewhere for once." She said wryly. She looked at Kaiba. " I owe it all to you." 

" Yeah right." He grumbled. 

" No really. Without your help, Sophie and I would have been goners. I'd never have gotten to keep this shop. It's because of you we're making any progress. You know, you really aren't as cold-hearted as they say you are." 

Kaiba threw her a strong glare. " Believe whatever you want. I only did this because I saw a good business deal, not because I felt sorry for you and your sister." He said, which was a partial lie. 

" Even so," she countered. " What you did may have saved our lives. It seems to me that there may be another reason you helped us. In any case, I now know I can trust you." She said, turning to the old cash machine behind her. 

" You're more naive than I thought." He said smugly. " You think you can trust someone simply because they gave you a little boost." 

Sonja turned around, completely unfazed, something he wasn't used to. 

" No, I feel I can trust you because I trust Mokuba. Little siblings are always somewhat of a reflection of their elder siblings. His determination and attitude tell me a little of what you're like. You want to trust, but you don't dare. Of course, Mokuba is a little less extreme than you are, Seto." She said. 

" That's not true! I trust Mokuba!" he exclaimed angrily. 

" I know. And I trust Sophie. She's all I have now that our parents are far away. But why don't you learn to open up a little more? It isn't healthy to lock your heart away. I learned that one the hard way." She mumbled. 

" What's that supposed to mean?" 

She paused and set the rose she was working with down. " Last year, I was hospitalized for Depression." She whispered. " I tried to cut my wrists. Sophie stopped me in time and called 9-1-1. But I'd already drawn some blood and they diagnosed me with Depression. They gave me medication, but I never took it. I was convinced I could solve my problem. Sophie was able to draw me out into the open. I hadn't said a word in weeks after my incident. But I learned to talk, and not bottle it all up." She said with a meaningful glance at him. " I'm not saying you have to learn to trust someone, but just know you can trust me and Sophie. It's the least the both of us can do after all of your help, Seto." She said. 

Kaiba was speechless at this. He couldn't believe she'd been foolish enough to attempt suicide. She resumed work on her rose. 

" Listen to me, Sonja." He growled. " The people you trust in this world often have a habit of betraying you. So I say why bother?" 

She turned again and gave him a look of pure sadness. " I'm sorry you think that way. I'd rather cut out my tongue than betray a friend." She said. " You know, my mother used to say, that if your friendship is strong enough, that you'd put yourself in danger to protect your friend, then that means that you're a true friend. If your theory is right, then you're telling me my mother was a liar." 

Kaiba rolled his eyes. " I don't have time for this." He grumbled. At that moment, Sophie and Mokuba returned. 

" We got it there safely, sis." Sophie announced. " And they gave us a four dollar tip, so I split it with Mokuba because he helped me get it there." 

" She talked me into it." Mokuba growled, his arms crossed. 

" I'm telling you to take the half of the tip you helped earn!" Sophie said. 

" And I'm saying no, it's your tip!" Mokuba replied. 

" Dutch!" 

" Yours!

" No!" 

" Yes!" 

" NoNoNoNoNoNoNo!" 

" YesYesYesYesYesYes!" 

Sonja was laughing hysterically at this. " If you two don't make up your minds, than it goes into the fund." 

" Uh…." Sophie said. " Oh fine." She grumbled. Mokuba grinned foxily. 

" Ha! I knew you'd see it my way!" he said. 

" Just wait till next time." She snapped. 

" You're on!" Mokuba said. Sonja sighed and shook her head as the brothers departed. " Come back and visit sometime." She called. 

" Yeah!" Sophie added. Mokuba waved goodbye. Kaiba just stalked away. Sonja turned to her funeral bouquet and sighed. 

" What's wrong, sis?" Sophie asked. 

" Nothing at all, Sophie." Sonja replied. " Nothing at all." 

A/N: Kinkatia and I talked about how Mokuba seems to have the little kid in him brought out by his new friend. I suppose that's true. They bicker here and there, but not nearly as much as Sonja and Kaiba. Boy this is a long story so far. 


	10. The Battle City Tournament

A/N: Here's the next chapter

A/N: Here's the next chapter. Nothing much to say tonight. I hope you all enjoy it.

The Battle City Tournament

Sophie came to call on a regular basis and Kaiba would often arrive in his office to find them arguing over what to watch. It was actually kind of amusing.

" Aw, we watched that yesterday!" Sophie whined.

" But it's a new episode!" Mokuba pointed out. She snatched the remote and switched it to another channel. " I like this."

" Boring! Let's try this channel!"

" Ew! It's creepy-crawlies!! Change it back!!"

" You don't like bugs, Sophie?" Mokuba teased. She stuck out her tongue.

" No."

" Too bad."

" Hey! Humph. I'm never speaking to you again."

As Kaiba set his briefcase down on his desk, he mentally counted down in his head: _Five…four…three…two…one._

" Let me choose, Mokuba!"

_Right on time, as usual._ Kaiba thought dryly. They did the same thing all the time. Sophie's silent treatments only lasted a maximum of ten seconds. Mokuba's topped fifteen last Wednesday. Kaiba was beginning to realize he rather liked the extra noise. It distracted him from the more grueling parts of his work.

But occasionally, it went too far. He stalked over and snatched the remote from both of them.

" Aw, we were just deciding what to watch, Seto." Mokuba said.

" Can you decide a little more quietly?" he grumbled.

" Sure."

Kaiba dropped the remote between them and made his way back to his desk, sitting down and loading his computer. The fight ensued again, but more quietly this time. Kaiba had to concentrate more today. He was planning to announce the Battle City Tournament soon, as it would come to be called. If not tonight, then tomorrow at the very latest. Two and a half weeks had passed since he'd moved Sonja's shop out of the outskirts of the city and so far, her business was a hit. Now that people knew there was a first-rate flower shop in town, everyone wanted to buy there. His most recent check on the shop had proved quite successful, as Sonja was quite the record keeper. She kept a careful list of what she sold each day and to whom. These records she then filed in her cabinet, making sure to weed out the ones that were over thirty days old, having then expired of any use. She'd given him a list of her profits, buyers and prices all compiled in a precise column for each category and the date exactly. He had to admit, this was quite impressive. She was much smarter than she seemed.

Whenever Sophie came to visit Mokuba, Sonja always came to pick her up. Lately, Sonja had seemed much happier than she'd been the day she arrived at Domino High School. One thing still puzzled him, though. What was that little brown book she always carried around?

He shook his head and started work on some files he'd been sorting the day before.

" Sophie," Mokuba said. " Guess what. My brother's starting a tournament soon. Do you think Sonja will want to participate?"

" I don't know. You'd have to ask Sonja. She hasn't dueled since her duel with your brother. I still think she's shaky from it. Whenever she makes herself tea in the morning, her hands always shake and she has trouble with the cup."

" She's still bad from that duel? I don't think Seto was _that_ hard on her." Mokuba said. Kaiba hummed in thought and they both turned.

" You never know." He said, not looking up. Mokuba looked at Sophie and shrugged. Then, they both leaned on the back of the sofa, watching him.

" Mr. Kaiba," Sophie asked. " If my sister does enter the tournament, do you think she'd stand a chance against other duelists out there?"

" It depends entirely on how she duels, Sophie." Kaiba answered, shifting some papers on his desk. " If she duels well, she'll make it. If not, then you get the picture."

" Oh." Sophie mumbled.

" However." Kaiba added. " From what I saw in our duel, Sonja isn't that bad of a duelist. She's quick on her feet and she has a well-balanced deck. It depends on Sonja as a duelist."

Sophie blinked. " Is that supposed to mean you think she's a good duelist?" she asked.

When Kaiba didn't answer, Mokuba shrugged. " Something like that, Sophie."

From there, they returned to the usual debate of what to watch. Kaiba continued his work, trying to concentrate, but failing in the end. He shouldn't have engaged in that conversation. It got him thinking about what Sophie had said. What if Sonja did enter the tournament? Was she good enough to make it to the finals? He didn't think so, but she was good enough to compete at least. Another thought occurred to him. If she were in the tournament, it would be an easier to keep an eye on her and her sister so they wouldn't get taken away without him noticing.

" Hm."

At that moment however, the PA buzzed.

_" Mr. Kaiba, a Miss. Sonja Givens…oh, sorry, Gavens, is here to pick up someone." _

" Send her up." Kaiba said. Sophie sighed. " Dang. And just when we'd finally agreed on something, too." She mumbled.

Mokuba smiled, nodding. " Yeah. Never thought I'd like nature shows." He said as the elevator opened and Sonja appeared. " Sophie!" she exclaimed. Sophie ran over and leapt into her sister's arms. " Hey, sis! How was your day?" she asked her. Sonja sighed heavily and set her down.

" Okay, for one thing, you're heavy. For another, busy, very, very busy. I've a ton of orders to fill and I've lost track of one of my records. I'll have to work late to track it down and sort it."

" Shoot." Sophie grumbled. " Oh well. Could be worse, right?"

" Totally." Sonja replied. She looked up. " Thanks for watching her, again." She said. " You have no idea how much it helps now."

Kaiba didn't answer right away, so she looked down at her sister. " We have to go. I have to get back to the shop." She said. She turned around.

" See you guys later." She said. Sophie pulled back. " Wait a sec." She said. She went over to his desk and took an envelope out of her pocket. She set it next to his computer. " Don't open it 'till later." She said.

" Hm?"

" Just…later. I don't know. But not after we leave. You know. Later." Sophie said. Kaiba raised an eyebrow and watched as they left. He looked at Mokuba who shrugged. " I don't know any more than you do." He said. Kaiba looked at the envelope Sophie had left him. He wondered what was inside it. But he didn't have time to deal with it right now, anyway. He still had work to do.

He'd worry about it later.

/ooo/

That night, Kaiba shut down his computer and rubbed his eyes wearily. Only alone would he ever admit fatigue. And now was appropriate.

He sighed and glanced at the mess of papers on his desk to his left. Those were old invoices that needed to be filed. That could wait a few hours, it wasn't extremely important. More of a nuisance if anything.

Among those papers was the envelope Sophie had given to him earlier. Now curious, he reached for it and pulled it closer, staring at it carefully. He slowly opened the seal, taped shut with masking tape. Inside was a single piece of paper, folded once over. He removed this and unfolded it. It was a letter, written in Sophie's handwriting in what looked like black marker pen. It was surprisingly neat for having been composed as such.

**Hello. **

**It's me, Sophie. Hey, that rhymes! Anyway, I wanted to thank you for your help. I've never seen Sonja so happy before. I decided to write this, because like Sonja, I get stuff out better in writing than words. You should read what she'd like to say; you'd never believe it could come from Sonja. She's…eloquent? I think that's how it's spelled. **

**Whatever. Anyway, I think meeting you guys was a twist of fate. Mokuba is the best friend I've ever had and I can speak my mind around him, like I can Sonja. **

**Are you going to keep visiting? I hope so. When you come, Mokuba usually does, too. And Sonja likes having someone her own age to talk to. Don't tell her I said this. She'd get all flustered and angry and then slam her door like she does when she gets like that. But somehow, it's funny every time. I don't know why Sonja thinks you're weird. I probably don't know you guys well enough to say you're not, but you seem nice to me, if not a little teensy weensy bit strict. **

**I hope we can all stay friends. What Sonja won't say because of low self esteem, I'll attempt in the least, to say for her. You guys are the best!!**

** Sophie**

Kaiba set the letter down, staring into space disbelievingly. How the heck was he supposed to react to this?

He sighed and turned to the window behind him. Why did he ever get involved with them? It was just a waste of precious time. Sonja and Sophie didn't mean anything to him. Sophie meant a lot to Mokuba as a very good friend, but Sonja, working in a shop he now owned, was more like an employee. Yet remembrance of his past in the orphanage before he decided to take matters into his own hands prevented him from simply abandoning Sonja and her sister to a live he'd abhorred for his entire his existence. Because of this, he knew that no matter what he did or said, he couldn't leave them. But this letter was making him think. He honestly couldn't believe that Sonja had managed to protect the two of them simply by dueling the officers who came for them. He'd put up a huge fuss when they'd tried to separate Mokuba from him, so in the end, they'd been kept together. But if Sonja could remain that cool-headed in such a situation, then she was no ordinary girl by a long shot. There had to be something else, some other puzzle piece he was missing that would fit together the whole mystery surrounding the Gavens'. Sonja was definitely different from her sister. She was quite perceptive. She'd seen through him quite a bit the other day. It was human nature to yearn to trust someone, but he'd been able to force back this nature up until that moment when for a tiny second, he believed her. For even the most miniscule moment, he'd believed that she was right—that he could trust her. But it had passed quickly. Even so, whatever she'd said had had a drastic, though brief impact on him and he wasn't sure he liked it. He didn't even like this girl, how could something simple as words affect him so?

He frowned. If he was going to find out the truth, there was only one way to do it.

He decided to pay Sonja a visit.

/ooo/

Sonja sat by the window, sewing a patch onto one of her shirts. For once, thanks to some money she'd put aside from what she made each day, the color of the patch matched the garment. You wouldn't even see it now. She smiled when she heard Sophie playing fifty-two pick-up with herself. She loved that game for some reason and never tired of playing it.

Sonja sighed and leaned on the windowsill, closing her eyes sleepily. She'd had a busy day. There had been seven orders to fill, one for a large spray to be delivered to a baby shower. She'd done it herself and they'd given her a nice tip that she'd split with Sophie. She'd even made them something nice for dinner that evening, something she'd never done before. Usually it had been cold or hot cereal, toast and Top Ramen. The problem is, now that she was able to earn money on her own, she didn't know what to do with it except save it like she always had. What else could she do with it? She and Sophie had gotten by with what they had for so long she'd forgotten what it was like to have anything else.

She shook her head and set her work down, leaning her head against the wooden frame of the window.

She heard a car approach and stop close by. She wondered who it could be at this late hour. Suppressing a yawn, she glanced out the window.

She gasped sharply and leaned out further. " What the-?" she exclaimed.

She watched as Kaiba got out of his car and faced the shop, shutting the door and heading towards it. Confused, she left the window and hurried to the door, opening it and stepping out into the cold air. She slowly descended the stairs as he came around the corner. He seemed slightly surprised she was outside, but said nothing. Sonja just blinked.

" Hello, Seto. What are you doing here?"

" How did you know I was here?" he asked.

" I saw you pull up. What's up?" she replied.

" I wanted to speak to you." He said, getting straight to the point.

" Oh. Well, it's cold out here, let me open the shop door." She said, going to the front and taking out her key. She opened the door and went inside.

She went back behind the counter and sat down on her stool. " Okay, what did you need?" she asked, turning to face him. " Um, would you like to sit down or something?"

" No. I had some questions for you." He said. Sonja shrugged. " Shoot."

" First, tell me where you're really from." He stated, his eyes narrowing. She appeared stunned. " What? You know that. I'm from Osaka." She said.

He stepped closer to the desk. " Sonja, answer my question." He growled.

" I have no answer other than what I gave you." She snapped. " What's with you all of a sudden?"

" Look, there's something that's not normal about you and it's driving me crazy. In order to figure out what sort of weirdo you are, I need to know more."

" So? Who's to say I really want to talk about my past? Something's been telling me you're hiding something as well. If you're going to ask me my motives for moving to this region, then tell me, what was your motive for helping me? Hm? The rumors about you have spread far past Osaka and they all say you're heartless and arrogant. So why help out a poor flower girl all of a sudden?"

With that, she got up and stalked into the back room. He quickly followed after her, finding her rummaging around through the bouquets she'd finished. He slammed the lid shut and she pulled her hands free just in time.

" Watch it!" she snapped at him. He glared down at her. " I want to know the truth, Sonja! Who are you!?"

" That's none of your business! Just because you own the shop now, doesn't mean you have access to my life! I don't have to tell you anything!"

" If you want to keep this shop open, you do!" he threatened morosely. She seemed phased for a moment, but shook it off. " So you're an Indian giver? Oh sure, _very admirable_! Go ahead! Take it back! Sophie and I have survived just fine without you! Heck, you own the shop anyway! Get out so I can pack and leave!"

She gasped sharply as he suddenly shoved her against the back wall, grabbing her wrist and wrenching it rather painfully. She gritted her teeth together as she glowered at him.

" Tell me what I need to know." He growled.

" I don't have to." She muttered in reply, her eyes blazing like they did when she was angry.

Suddenly, it hit him. This was going over the edge. He was letting confusion get the best of him. Without a word, he released her and backed away. She continued to glare angrily at him.

Neither said anything and when the door to the store opened suddenly, they both froze. Sophie's head appeared in the doorway. " Is everything all right? I heard shouting." She said. Sonja smiled softly. " Everything's fine, Sophie. We were just discussing something."

" More like debating if you ask me." Sophie commented. But she turned and left the shop, heading back upstairs. Sonja threw an angry glare at Kaiba.

" Stop trying to intimidate me. It won't work anymore." She hissed. " Why do you suddenly want to know so much about me? The past is over and done with. What counts is the present and what you do with it. I don't know why you even bother coming here anymore."

To his surprise, as she turned around to leave, this last part was said quietly, as though regretfully. Was she insinuating she considered them friends of sorts?

He followed her back to the shop front and found her typing feverishly on her computer. He paused as he prepared to leave. " Get your deck ready." He said. She looked up quizzically. " What? Don't tell me you want to duel. You know you'd only crush me again." She said. He gave her a stern look. " The possibility of the two of us facing each other again is high, that is, if you join the tournament I'm announcing this evening at the square." He said. Sonja's eyes widened a fraction. " Tournament? Tonight?"

" Yes. Register for a duel disk at my headquarters and be ready tomorrow. The rules will be explained to duelists who miss my announcement. Though they'd better not if they know what's good for them. Not all of the information will be handed to attendants." He said menacingly. Then he paused. " In fact, you're the only one who knows that I've organized the tournament. Everyone else received an anonymous invitation." He sneered. Sonja stared at him. " Why are you organizing a tournament?"

He chose to ignore this as he headed for the door. " I'll return tomorrow to see whether you're prepared." He said. As he left, Sonja realized he wasn't giving her an option upon whether or not she wanted to enter. She knew she wouldn't make it to the finals, but she was determined to try if she had no other option.

" One minute, he's demonically frightening and the next, he's his usual domineering self." She muttered. " Will wonders never cease? Seto Kaiba suffers from mood swings."

With that, she returned to work.

/ooo/

Sonja looked at the clock later. It was only seven-thirty. Perhaps he was still going to make his announcement this evening. She hesitated a moment and then left the shop and went upstairs to put on something different. She'd gone shopping with Sophie to get a couple of new clothing articles each. She'd only gotten very little for herself, but enough for Sophie to fit in better at school, since hers was one of few that didn't do the uniforms for some reason. She put on a black skirt that reached her knees and a white blouse, similar to the one she'd worn two and a half weeks ago at the duel. She put on the same black choker and tied her long white hair up. She picked her deck up off the side table and started to remove the valuable cards, but then, since she was going to the start of a tournament, decided against it. She held it tightly in her hand and, after saying goodbye to Sophie and telling her of her destination, left the house.

/ooo/

Sonja arrived at the square a little after eight. People were crowded around on the street, talking and laughing with each other. Since so many were here and she heard nothing on the upcoming tournament details, she figured Kaiba hadn't made his announcement yet. She also remembered she was the only one who knew his plan, so she decided to keep quiet, otherwise duelists would probably swarm her for details. So, to kill some time, she wandered through the crowd aimlessly, searching for any familiar faces.

She found them.

She smiled when she saw Yugi and Tea. But as she got closer, she realized Yugi looked different. He seemed taller, his eyes more determined and a more confidant stature in the way he held himself. All in all, he looked older.

Tea noticed as she approached and waved. " Hey, Sonja!" she called. Yugi turned at that second and Sonja realized that whoever this was, this wasn't Yugi. She stared at him incredulously. " I didn't know Yugi had an older brother." She remarked. Tea started laughing suddenly and the Yugi look-alike smiled wryly and shook his head.

" Sonja, this isn't Yugi's brother." Tea explained. Sonja cocked an eyebrow. " Then who is he?"

" Do you see this?" 'Yugi' asked, gesturing to a strange pyramid shaped necklace he wore around his neck. Sonja nodded.

" This is the Millennium Puzzle, an ancient Egyptian item that contains my spirit. I share Yugi's mind and support him."

Sonja's jaw dropped. " Woah! That's amazing! Do you have a name?"

" We learned from a woman in the museum that I am called Yami." He said. Sonja smiled and held out her hand. " Pleasure to meet you Yu-uh-Yami." She said. He chuckled and shook her head. " Same here. But my friends just call me Yugi." He replied.

As they were talking, another voice called to them. Sonja turned to see a lady with long blonde hair and a purple jacket running toward them.

" It's Mai Valentine." Yugi said as she reached their position.

" Hey you guys! I assume you guys got an invitation too?" Mai questioned. Yami nodded. " Yes, but it didn't say who it was from."

Mai hummed and glanced away. That was when she noticed Sonja.

" Oh, you're a new face! What's your name?" she asked.

" Uh, Sonja. Sonja Gavens." She replied shakily. Mai smiled and winked.

" Nice to meet ya, kid. You got an invite as well?"

" Uh…uh…." Sonja stammered. How could she say Kaiba had sort of…_personally_ invited her? She was the only one who knew that he was behind this. Mai blinked in confusion. " Do you know who's hosting this thing?" she asked. Sonja made a face and hastily shook her head. " Huh? Uh, nope! Not a clue! Can't imagine!" she squeaked. In her head she was saying, _Oh, how much more lame could that have sounded??_

Mai shrugged. " I have no idea either. Nobody seems to know. Everyone I spoke to got an anonymous invitation. It's a mystery, I guess."

She crossed her arms. " There is a buzz going around that it's someone with a ton of cash and an obnoxious attitude. My guess is Kaiba." She said.

Yami's eyes widened considerably. " That must be why Ishizu told me to enter, earlier." He said.

Sonja followed the conversation slowly, not really paying attention. She didn't want to say anything to confirm their suspicions. Apparently, they weren't too fond of Kaiba. Then again, he treated them so coldly, why would they be?

" It's pretty safe to say it's not Pegasus again." Mai grumbled, bringing Sonja back into the conversation. She'd vaguely heard Yami mention something about past events happening again and wondered what that meant.

Yami sighed. " Speaking of Pegasus, this is beginning to look like Duelist Kingdom all over again."

Sonja spaced out again as the conversation continued. She was nervous about this. Kaiba hadn't just informed her of the tournament, he'd forced her into it. But why?

" There he is now." Tea said suddenly, looking up. Sonja came back over and joined them as a news-screen above them flashed on. She gasped.

Yami's eyes narrowed. " Kaiba." He said. Sonja shook her head and mumbled to herself.

Somewhere, Kaiba was being filmed on public broadcast for his announcement. Sonja now regretted coming.

" _Greetings, Duelists_." He said. " _Welcome to the town of Domino. But more importantly, welcome to my tournament_."

Sonja felt rather overwhelmed by the whole thing. She wasn't a good duelist, what was she doing here?

" Let's hear what Kaiba has to say." Yami said.

" _I see you all received your private invites to KaibaCorp.'s exclusive Duel Monsters tournament and you had enough brains to show up here, tonight." _Kaiba said mockingly. Sonja winced as a large uproar erupted from the crowd of duelists offended by the remark. Only Yami and his friends seemed unaffected. Kaiba continued. " _Seeing that you are all elite duelists, I've added special rules to my tournament just for experts_."

The camera shifted. He held up a strange new device attached to his left arm.

" _For example, you will duel with these new improved duel disks_." He explained.

" Woah, check it out!" someone close to Sonja said.

" Man, that KaibaCorp.'s got the coolest products!" another said.

" _Another rule I've devised for the tournament," Kaiba continued, " Is that before each duel, each player must put up their rarest card, and the loser has to forfeit his card to the winner_."

The crowd began to murmur allowed.

" Forfeit my Dark Magician?" Yami exclaimed in disbelief. Mai frowned.

" That means losing even one duel can ruin my entire deck!" she said. Sonja gasped. Her rarest card following her Hyozanryu, which Kaiba now possessed, was her Agent of Judgment-Saturn card. She couldn't give that up. Now that her beloved dragon was gone, she had nothing else. She listened in horror as Kaiba concluded his announcement as far as she could tell.

" _My tournament will make Pegasus and his Duelist Kingdom challenge look like a joke_." He declared.

Another eruption of angry shouts clattered about her from the other duelists and someone shoved her rather roughly to get closer.

Suddenly, a great gust of wind ripped through the square and Sonja and the others looked up. A helicopter was approaching and Sonja gasped when she saw who was standing outside of it, staring down at them.

" Don't forget to register and pick up your duel disks, because exactly one week from today, my Battle City Tournament begins!" Kaiba yelled from the copter as it ascended into the sky. As he disappeared, Sonja could have sworn he looked directly at her, but after he couldn't be seen any longer, she shrugged it off as nothing.

She sighed and turned away. Tea noticed as she left and followed after her.

" Sonja? What's wrong? You seemed shaken the entire time since the announcement."

" I knew it was him, Tea." Sonja muttered. " He told me himself. You might say he sorta talked me into entering."

" You mean he forced you to enter?" Tea exclaimed in disbelief. " That doesn't sound like him."

" He came to my shop again. We got into a big argument. I know I told you this, but lets' say he got just a tad violent. But he seemed to gather his senses."

" I won't ask." Tea said. Sonja smiled weakly. " Thanks. I suppose I'd better register. Since he told me first about the tournament, I can only assume I would have had an invite so I should be able to get a duel disk. But without my Hyozanryu, I don't know what I'm gonna do."

" Where is it?" Tea asked.

" Kaiba has it." Sonja replied. She faked a yawn. " I'd better get home and get some rest. It's gonna be a big month." She said. She turned and walked away silently, leaving Tea to stare after her curiously.

A/N: Here's the tournament chapter. Most of the story is taken up by this.


	11. Sonja's First Tournament Battle

A/N: I don't write many duels, simply for the reason that it's frustrating dueling a piece of paper

A/N: I don't write many duels, simply for the reason that it's frustrating dueling a piece of paper. In any case, I hope this turned out well. Sonja gets a little weird and I always cringe at the amount of weirdness I have to look back on. Again, let me know if she's starting to become Mary-Sue-ish. I can go back in still and edit her a bit before the next chapter if she is.

Sonja's First Tournament Battle

The next day, Sonja and Sophie made their way to the registrations to pick up Sonja's duel disk. Sonja hadn't said a word since she arrived home the night before. She was on pins and needles about getting this duel disk.

" Sonja, are you all right?" Sophie asked. Sonja looked at her and nodded.

" Yeah, I'm fine." She said.

They arrived at the registration office and Sonja saw a stack of white boxes sitting on the counter. The lady behind the desk looked up. " Are you here to register?" she asked snidely. Sonja stepped up to the counter, looking rather lost.

" Y-Yeah, I am." She stuttered. The lady mumbled something. " Name, please?"

" S-Sonja Gavens."

" I don't see your name on the invitation list."

" Oh." She said simply, a little taken aback. The lady reached for a phone.

" I'll just call in and check." She said. Sonja waited. Finally, the lady went, " Ah!" and she knew someone had picked up. " Hi, this is the tournament registration desk. I have a Sonja Gavens here to register, but she isn't on the invite list…Uh…_Oh!_ Oh, u-um, o-okay. S-sure. I'll be s-sure t-to. Bye now."

She hung up quickly and stood up. " I have special orders regarding you." She said rapidly. She rushed into the back room and Sonja stared after her bewilderedly.

After a moment, the lady returned, carrying a box identical to the ones sitting on the counter beside her. Obviously, it contained a brand new duel disk. She handed it to Sonja. " Sign here, please. I'll need proof that you claimed this."

Sonja hesitated as she signed her name on the form the lady handed her.

" But, this one's the same as all the others. And why do you have special orders with me?" she asked.

" Instructions from the top, girlie. Don't complain." She snapped. Sonja realized that Kaiba had ordered that she receive this seemingly different duel disk. She finished her signature and departed quickly.

" Sonja," Sophie said once they got back outside. " What was that all about?"

" I have no idea." Sonja replied. They approached a bench and sat down. Sonja placed the box on her lap. " I don't know why Seto wanted me to have this one. It looks like all the others."

" Open it." Sophie encouraged. " Maybe it's a different color or something."

Sonja carefully undid the glue seal on the top of the box and opened the cardboard flaps. She gingerly lifted out the surprisingly lightweight duel disk and set the box beside her after removing the instructions. She stared at it. " It's…it's amazing." She breathed. " And he invented this thing."

Sophie whistled. " He's one hell of a genius." She said. Sonja's head snapped around to stare at her. " Where'd you learn that word?"

" A movie."

" Don't say it again or I'll wash your mouth out with Tabasco sauce." Sonja growled. She redirected her gaze to her new duel disk. She tried out the different features and opened the slot for a field card. Her eyes went wide and she gasped.

" So that's it!" she exclaimed.

" What's it?" Sophie asked. Sonja carefully picked up what was inside.

" So this is why he wanted me to have this one." She whispered. She held the card up in front of her face. Sophie drew a quick breath.

" It's Hyozanryu!" she cried.

Sonja turned it over. Something was taped to the back of the card and she carefully removed it. It was a piece of paper, handwritten on. She held it to the light.

_You're going to need this if you want any hope of surviving this tournament. _

_ Seto Kaiba_

Sonja frowned in determination and folded the note in her hand, fastening the disk onto her arm.

" From here on out, it's a whole new ball game." She said.

/ooo/

Sonja knew that it was only less than a week before the tournament started and her dueling skills would be put to the test. She had no idea what the upcoming weeks held in store for her. Only that she stood a better chance now that she had Hyozanryu once again.

However, she couldn't miss school for the cause. This time, she took her full deck.

As she arrived in the classroom, she saw that almost everyone had their cards out on separate desks and was busy practicing. She wondered exactly how many of her peers were included in the tournament.

She looked around once and saw that Kaiba had moved to the very back of the room, apparently to escape the pressure of challenges from wannabe duelists. He seemed very intent on the book he was holding and didn't notice her come in like she knew he usually did.

She grimaced in annoyance. She didn't know if he'd done it on purpose, but he'd taken the desk she usually sat at. She sighed and sat down close to the front, taking her deck out and studying her cards.

She heard someone come up behind her. But she didn't look up.

" Hey, you got a deck!" the kid said. " How about a practice duel before the teach comes back?"

" No." Sonja said flatly.

" Are you even in the tournament?" the kid demanded.

" Yes." She replied simply.

" Then you can't back out of my challenge!" the kid snapped. Sonja sighed. " I don't think I should duel you. I need to…uh…work out my strategies for the tournament." She said. He let out an exasperated growl and moved away. Sonja heaved a sigh of relief. She wasn't ready to duel again. Heck, she was still shaken from her duel with Kaiba and that was weeks ago. But her Hyozanryu was back in her deck and she knew that her strategies once again worked.

But why'd he return it in the first place?

/ooo/

The day finally ended and Sonja found she could breathe again when she stepped outside. As she was heading toward the street, she happened to glance down. She stopped. There was a piece of folded up paper on the grass. She knelt down and picked it up, unfolding it and scanning it.

_Look to your left_

She cocked her head in confusion and did as the note said. She jumped when she saw someone standing in the shadows of the trees. She straightened up and jumped back.

" Who's there?" she snapped.

" Calm down." A hard voice countered and Kaiba stepped out. For some reason, he'd already changed into his normal clothes and looked like he had when he'd made the announcement the night before. The same black outfit and white coat with the KaibaCorp. Logo on the collar. Sonja glared. " Are you trying to frighten ten years out of me?" she griped angrily.

" You're pathetic." Kaiba drawled. " Come on."

He turned to go. Sonja didn't move. He looked back. " You're coming with me, today. Let's go."

Sonja rolled her eyes and sighed. " Next time just tell me. I don't know what the secretive act is for." She grumbled. But she followed after him. As she fell in step beside him, she looked over. " Why did you order the registration desk to give me a specific duel disk? You could have just tried to return the card, again." She pointed out.

" That card isn't the only thing that's different about that disk." Kaiba said. Sonja's eyes widened. " What? You mean there's something else?"

" Yes. But I'll leave you to discover that on your own. If you're as smart as you seem, you should be able to figure it out." He smirked.

" I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult." She mumbled as they reached the curb. As before, he unlocked the doors and she got in the passenger side. This car looked a lot like the one that had been totaled earlier that past week.

He got in and shut the door, starting the car and pulling away. Sonja glanced at him again. " You seemed deep in thought the entire day." She commented.

" What?"

" You didn't say one mean thing to Joey all day. He mentioned at lunch whether you were sick or not. The tournament?"

" Yes, if you must know." He answered darkly.

" Why did you plan that tournament?" Sonja asked.

" Why should I tell you?"

" Of course, what was I thinking?" she grumbled. " Let me guess, a big publicity stunt?"

" Not even close." He smirked at her. " But whatever this tournament becomes, I intend to win."

" Isn't that a little off? You hosted it after all, shouldn't you be automatically disqualified because you organized it?" Sonja asked.

" I thought you'd say that. But in any case, it doesn't matter, now. It's too late." He said.

Sonja sighed. " Great. Why'd you force me into this? I don't duel, anymore. I don't know what I was thinking when I challenged you." She said.

" About that. What caused that ridiculous decision?" Kaiba probed.

" I don't want to talk about it." Sonja muttered.

" Tell me what happened." He said with an angry glance in her direction.

" Seto, you clearly have secrets about your past that you wish to keep confidential. Like you, I also have childhood secrets that I'd rather not discuss. Lets' just leave it at that."

" Humph. You're stubborn, I'll say that much for you." He countered.

" Gee, thanks. Nice to know you care." Sonja growled.

A minute or so passed and Sonja began to grow edgy. Something wasn't right here.

" Seto, where are you taking me? The drive shouldn't be taking this long." She said. He didn't answer, but glanced at the side mirror and flipped the turn switch as he made a left turn down a new road. Sonja looked out the window. Nothing looked familiar.

" Answer me!" she exclaimed in alarm.

" You'll see soon enough." He said cryptically. Sonja let out a hissing breath. " You're freaking me out, tell me." She said.

" Be quiet." He snapped. Sonja swallowed nervously and sat back, shaking slightly. What was going on? Where was he taking her? What about Sophie?

" I have to get my sister." Sonja said, hoping he'd remember. Instead, he reached over and opened the glove compartment, taking a cell phone out and opening it one-handed. He dialed a number and waited.

" Roland. I have new instructions for you, today. When you go to get Mokuba, make sure to collect a girl about the same age with turquoise colored hair. She goes by the name of Sophie. Got that?"

He hummed and hung up. " All taken care of." He said smugly. Sonja groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. " You're driving me crazy." She mumbled. He still didn't reply.

" You know this is kidnapping, right?" she said. Still no response. She gradually gave up.

Finally, the car began to slow down and he pulled to a stop beside a patch of trees on a small road leading to a stadium just within view. He glanced at her.

" Get out."

" You're ditching me here?" Sonja grumbled, her arms folded.

" Moron." He replied, getting out of the car himself. Sonja rolled her eyes and did as he said, but unhappily.

When she stepped onto the curb, she looked around. She could still see the city buildings further back a ways. She glanced over at Kaiba and saw he was heading down a small wood path carved through the trees.

" Where are you going?" she called.

" Come on." He replied harshly. Sonja hesitated, but hurried after him.

" What's going on?" she asked.

" Just be quiet." He snapped. Sonja made a face, but said nothing more.

The path led to a large clearing within the forest and several other paths could be seen leading off in different directions. She suddenly realized that this forest had been turned into a cross-country track for joggers. That explained the different paths going seemingly nowhere. But what were they doing here?

As she was wondering, Kaiba suddenly shoved something into her hands and moved off toward the other end of the clearing. A little stunned, Sonja looked down at the object. It was a duel disk. It now occurred to her that he had one, too. She looked up at him. He already fastened his to his arm and stood waiting.

" What's going on?" she asked.

" It's simple. I'm going to be your first tournament challenge." He said. " I want to see if you can really survive in my tournament and the only way to do that is witness exactly how powerful you are."

" And our last duel doesn't count because…." She said.

" Because I never saw that strategy you described to me. I'd like to test its effectiveness."

_As well as show you what true power is, now that I have Obelisk, _He thought to himself. _I doubt she's ever heard of Egyptian God Cards before. It'll be amusing to see her face once I unleash it. And these duel disks will help immensely. I've already seen Obelisk's power before, when it destroyed my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon when I fought the duel robot at my headquarters. But lets' see how he does against a real opponent. _

Sonja looked down at the disk.

" That disk you hold is the prototype to the one you received, so it has the same capabilities as the finished result." He called. " However, let's see if you can use it."

Sonja frowned. " Fine. I accept your challenge, though next time, I'd appreciate it if you told me your intentions first."

She attached the disk to her arm and watched as it activated, shifting the card zone into position. She took her deck out of her pocket and placed it into the slot. The meter registered four thousand Lifepoints. Kaiba did the same with his deck. The portable hologram projectors erupted from the disks and planted themselves at all four corners of the field.

" Duel!" they both declared.

/ooo/

Sophie stood outside the school, watching anxiously for Sonja. But there was no sign of her, and she and only a few others were left.

" Where's Sonja?" she whispered. " It's getting late. All who are still here just have after school activities to deal with. I don't have a spare key."

She heard footsteps come up behind her.

" Sophie?" Mokuba said. " What are you still doing here? Shouldn't Sonja have come for you awhile ago?"

" You'd think so. She hasn't shown up." Sophie said. " I'm afraid something's happened to her."

Mokuba put his hand on his friend's shoulder. " Don't worry. I'm sure she's fine. Maybe Seto knows where she is."

As he spoke, a black car pulled up and the passenger window rolled down. Mokuba and Sophie ran over.

" Roland." Mokuba said, leaning on the door and talking through the open window. " Can Sophie come with us? Her sister hasn't arrived to get her."

" Actually," Roland said. " I received orders from Mr. Kaiba to collect Sophie as well as you, sir. He didn't say why."

Mokuba gasped. " That explains it."

He turned to Sophie. " Sonja's with my brother. That's why he ordered that we pick you up, too."

" I'm relieved that she's safe. There can be no other explanation. But why is she with Mr. Kaiba?"

" I wouldn't know." Mokuba said, getting in the back of the car. " Come on, Sophie. Sonja's fine. As long as she's with Seto, she's perfectly safe."

As Sophie climbed in and pulled the door shut, she still showed doubt. " I don't know, Mokuba. They don't seem to like each other much."

" Actually," Mokuba contradicted. " I think that Seto doesn't mind her as much. I've noticed he has a funny way of showing he cares for something. In all truth, I was shocked when he bought your shop and moved it closer to headquarters."

" What are you saying?" Sophie asked. Mokuba smiled.

" I think that, in his own way, he really does like you guys." He replied.

/ooo/

Sonja couldn't believe she was in another duel with Kaiba. This one, she hadn't even known about. He'd forced her into this one, too. What was he doing all of this for?

" Draw your hand and lets' start this duel." He said. She nodded and drew her five cards. She looked at her hand.

_Hm. Not as bad as last time I dueled him. Two magic cards, a trap and two monsters. One of them is a spirit monster and if I can draw the right card, this can really work for me. Okay. _

" Ladies, first, Seto." She said. " I'll place one card face down and summon Cure Mermaid to the field."

She placed the monster card on the duel disk and it instantly appeared on the field. The card she placed facedown, she slipped into a small slot beneath the field positions on the disk and it appeared on the ground before her.

" Also," she continued. " My Mermaid's special ability allows me eight hundred Lifepoints during each of my standby phases. But for now, I end my turn." She declared.

" Fine. My move." Kaiba said. He drew his hand.

_Not too shabby. I can use these until I summon my Obelisk the Tormentor. It should be interesting to see how she reacts to an Egyptian God Card._

" I summon Saggi The Dark Clown in attack mode and place one card face-down." He said. A strange gleam entered his eyes. " And that's all."

Sonja frowned in confusion. _Why did he summon such a weak monster, and in attack mode at that. My Cure Mermaid could easily wipe it out. But then there's his facedown card to consider. If it's a trap, it could be deadly. Should I chance it? No, I'll be careful this turn. I need that Lifepoint boost ahead of time so I have enough to sustain myself. I have to be careful around Kaiba. He's tricky. _

" Okay then. I draw!" she said. _Perfect! This is just what I needed. _" And now, I summon Tsukuyomi, in attack mode."

The monster appeared on the field and Sonja nodded in approval. " Also, because of my Mermaid's special effect, I gain an extra eight hundred Lifepoints, now."

The meter registered eight hundred Lifepoints to her count.

" Next, I activate the Spring of Rebirth magic card. Each time a monster returns to my hand, I gain five hundred Lifepoints. And since my turn is about to end, my Tsukuyomi's special effect kicks in. It flips one of your monsters into facedown defense position. Bye, Saggi!"

Kaiba watched as his Saggi the Dark Clown switched from face-up attack to facedown defense. He looked up at her as she concluded her turn. " Finally, Tsukuyomi, being a spirit monster, is able to return to my hand at the end of the turn, activating my Spring of Rebirth and giving me five hundred Lifepoints. I believe that the end result is fifty-three hundred Lifepoints. From here, I end my turn." She said. Kaiba hummed and drew a card. " It's my turn, and you are about to go down, Sonja." He declared.

" I don't know, Seto." She said. " I always feel fidgety whenever I think about dueling, but I feel perfectly at home when I'm actually doing it for real. Is this another one of your confidence boosts?"

" Whatever. Let's get on with this duel, already." He growled. He looked at his card. _Nothing useful, right now. But I can play it anyway and see what happens. _" I place one card facedown and Rude Kaiser to the field!"

Sonja swallowed nervously.

" Rude Kaiser, attack her Cure Mermaid now!" Kaiba yelled. Sonja squeezed her eyes shut as her Mermaid was destroyed. She gasped sharply.

" That…that hurt me." She whispered. " It burned, like steam. What was that?"

" That was the new hologram system. Unfortunately for you, I've turned the safeties off so we duel realistically. Mind you, you will feel some pain in this duel." He smirked. Sonja glared at him.

" Bring it!" she snapped. " I can handle whatever your crazy new system can dish out! It's my turn, now!"

She whipped a card off the top of her deck and stared at it.

_Spellbinding Circle. Could have been better. I still have Tsukuyomi and Spring of Rebirth. He can't attack Tsukuyomi because it always returns to my hand. I n any case, I have the lead. Now I just have to keep it. And I have to watch out for his two facedown cards._

" I summon Tsukuyomi to the field once again!" she declared. She set the card on the disk and it instantly appeared on the playing field. " Now, Tsukuyomi, attack his facedown Saggi the Dark Clown!"

Kaiba smirked as his monster was eliminated. " Thank you." He said smugly. Sonja grimaced.

" You've just triggered my trap card! Crush Card! It renders any and all monsters in your hand and your deck with an attack of fifteen hundred or more, useless for the duration of the duel!"

Sonja gasped. " What!?"

Kaiba laughed cruelly. " Tell me, are you scared, now? Do you think this duel is too much for you to handle?"

Sonja glowered at him and let out a heavy sigh. " It's still my turn, Kaiba. I place one card facedown and return Tsukuyomi to my hand. I gain another five hundred Lifepoints. And that ends my turn."

Kaiba hummed and drew a card from his deck. " Fine." He said.

_Still not what I needed. But it will give me an edge in this duel so I can brink Obelisk onto the field. _

" I summon Mystic Horseman to the field in attack mode." He declared. Sonja raised an eyebrow in confusion.

" And now," Kaiba said. " Mystic Horseman, attack her Lifepoints directly!"

Sonja braced as the monster's attack hit her dead on. She felt like she was being sliced through with a hot knife. As the attack ended, her knees felt weak and she almost collapsed. This was even worse than the last duel. He'd mentioned the safeties were switched off. What did that mean? Could it be that she could really be injured in this duel? Was his new system that dangerous?

" Are you finished?" she growled.

" Yes." He replied simply.

" My turn." She said. She drew a card. A look of exasperation crossed her face. _Mass Driver magic card? Dang it. I needed a monster. My Tsukuyomi isn't powerful enough to defeat his Mystic Horseman. The only thing I can do is summon it again and then return it to my hand to gain five hundred Lifepoints to replace some of the thirteen hundred I just lost. But I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. _

" I place one card facedown and summon Tsukuyomi to the field once again."

Her monster appeared on her side and she sighed. " There's nothing else I can do, right now, so I'll end my turn."

" Worn down already?" Kaiba mocked. " What a shame. Seems like you won't be able to survive the tournament after all."

Sonja hissed through clenched teeth. " I _will_ survive your dorky tournament, Seto." She growled. " It may kill me, but I'll make it."

" You're right, it might." He said. He drew a card.

_Hmm. A Blue-Eyes. Not bad. If I can summon this, it will prevent Sonja from making any other moves against me until I can summon my Egyptian God Card. _

" I think I'll pass, for now." He said, relishing the look of frustration on her face. Sonja grumbled to herself. " I suppose it's my turn, then." She mumbled. She looked at the new card she'd drawn.

_Sacred Crane? Well, could be better. I was hoping for my Hyozanryu ,but this will work. _

" I summon Sacred Crane to the field. Now, Sacred Crane, attack his Mystic Horseman!"

" Hold on! Activate the card, Block Attack! This stops your Crane in its tracks." He said.

" Oh great." She grumbled. " I end my turn, then, seeing as I can't attack."

Kaiba smirked triumphantly. " This time, I do feel somewhat badly for you. You fell right into my trap." He said.

" What!?"

" Activate the magic card, Soul Exchange!" Kaiba exclaimed.

" No!" Sonja cried. Kaiba laughed. " Yes! I choose to take your Sacred Crane! Now, I use both of these monsters, Sacred Crane and Mystic Horseman to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Sonja watched in dismay as her monster disappeared and with a crackling light explosion from the hologram projectors, the enormous white dragon appeared with a mighty roar. Kaiba looked over at her.

" How's it feel to face fear, once again, Sonja?" he asked. Sonja glowered at him. " I won't give you the satisfaction of an answer to that." She said. " In all good truth, I've seen scarier."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. " I was going to give you a chance and wait one turn to attack." He sneered at her. " But I've just changed my mind. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack her Lifepoints directly with White Lightning attack!"

As the dragon let loose a powerful blast from its mouth, Sonja smirked.

" Hah! And now the tables have turned, Seto!" she called. " Activate trap card, Spellbinding Circle!"

Kaiba's eyes widened. " What?" he exclaimed as his dragon was frozen in place, stopping the attack dead and lowering the dragon's attack points. Sonja sighed in relief. " That was way too close." She whispered. She looked up at him, her eyes blazing with determination. " I seem to have survived again." She said. " And," she added, " I have to say, this system is amazing, Seto. It's like the monsters are real. I've never seen anything like it."

Kaiba hummed quietly, surprised by the sudden compliment of his product.

" But back to the duel. I believe your turn is now over, since your dragon is frozen." She said. Kaiba growled in anger. " Whatever. Just go." He snapped.

" With pleasure." She replied. She smiled. " I place one monster in facedown defense position and activate the trap card known as Type Zero Magic Crusher. This lets me inflict five hundred points of direct damage to you for every magic card I discard, and I have two I can get rid of. So that's one thousand Lifepoints gone, Seto." She declared.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed in annoyance as the meter registered the change. Sonja adjusted her hand and nodded to him. " My turn is done." She said.

" Fine." He grumbled. He drew a card. " I summon Ancient Lamp. This card's effect allows me to summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of The Lamp from my deck to the field. It also protects my monster from being sent to the graveyard."

His monsters appeared on the field.

"Now, La Jinn, attack her facedown monster!"

Sonja shut her eyes as her Cat of Ill Omen was eliminated. Kaiba smirked at her. " And now I place one card facedown and end my turn." He said.

" My move, then." Sonja declared. Her face lit up and she placed the card in her hand. " Okay, I summon Tsukuyomi to the field. And now—"

" Hang on." Kaiba interrupted. " I activate Trap Hole. Your monster is instantly destroyed if it has one thousand attack points or more."

" Just great." Sonja muttered as her Tsukuyomi was destroyed. " I guess my turn's done. Nothing much else, right now." She said.

Kaiba said nothing, but drew a card. His eyes went wide. " Excellent." He mumbled. _I've finally drawn Obelisk. Now I can test my Egyptian God Card against a real opponent._

" I activate the magic card, Pot of Greed." He said. " This allows me to draw two more cards. Next, I summon Vorse Raider to the field. In attack mode."

Sonja gulped. " Uh-oh. I know what's coming." She said nervously.

" Good. Saves some explaining. Now, Vorse Raider, attack her Lifepoints directly!"

As his monster slashed viciously down at her, Sonja once again felt as though she were being ripped in two. It felt horrible, like the blade was truly cutting through her.

" Finally, La Jinn, attack her Lifepoints again!" Kaiba ordered. Sonja closed her eyes as another wave slammed into her, sending her flying back several feet. She managed to keep her footing as she straightened. " I'm down to my last eight hundred Lifepoints." She mumbled. " But I'm not done, yet. Not by a long shot."

Her hand went to her deck. " It's my move, now." She declared. " I summon Fire Princess, in defense mode. I also discard another magic card to inflict five hundred points of damage to your total."

" Big deal. I still have twenty five hundred left." He pointed out. Sonja nodded. " Right, but this duel isn't over yet. However, my turn is. It's your move."

A triumphant gleam entered his eyes. " That was the last move you'll make, Sonja." He said. " Because now, it's time to show you what real power is!"

" What do you mean?" she asked. He held up a single card, facing away from her. " This," he said, " Is the key to my victory in this duel."

" What?"

" Behold the power of an Egyptian God Card!" Kaiba declared. " I sacrifice my Blue-Eyes, Vorse Raider and La Jinn to summon the mighty Obelisk the Tormentor!"

Sonja gasped sharply as the he placed the new monster on the field. His three monsters vanished and the sky turned black, lightning crackling down to the earth. Sonja felt her breath catch in her throat as an enormous black shadow rose up behind him.

" S-Seto, what the heck is that t-thing?" she exclaimed in fear. He laughed triumphantly. " This is Obelisk the Tormentor, an Egyptian God Card who will bring about your destruction, Sonja."

Sonja felt a horrible tremor pass through her body as she stared up at the enormous monster. " Good lord." She whispered. " It's huge. What's an Egyptian God Card? I've never heard of it." She said.

" I might explain after the duel." Kaiba said. " Now, before I attack, I activate the magic card Monster Reborn. I'll bring back my Vorse Raider. Now, Vorse Raider, attack her Fire Princess! Clear the way for Obelisk!"

Sonja closed her eyes as her monster was destroyed. " Déjà vu." She whispered. She glanced up at Kaiba, her eyes glazed over. " This is it." She said. She bowed her head. " I can do nothing more, but I'll take the hit. I'll go down honorably! Hit me with your best shot!!" she yelled. Kaiba was surprised by this.

" It would be easier on you to just surrender, Sonja." He said darkly. Her next action surprised him even more. She folded her cards up in her hand and straightened, holding her arms at her sides, as though inviting the attack. Her eyes remained steely. " Who's the one who told me not to back down?" she called. He hadn't been expecting this, but he said nothing as he turned to his monster.

" Obelisk, attack her Lifepoints with your Fist of Fate!!" he yelled. Sonja watched as Obelisk rose up, hurtling its fist toward her. She closed her eyes.

The attack struck.

All Kaiba heard was one long, drawn out scream.

A/N: I'm sorry for the delay in the update. I was attending my sister's Bat-Mitzvah in Washington state. I just got back in yesterday evening. That and my brother was taken to the hospital. They thought he had appendicitis. Turns out it was just swollen lymph nodes. He's fine.


	12. It's All Over?

A/N: I'm so happy, now

A/N: I'm so happy, now!! My beanbrain colleyball coaches left the team and we have an actual coach with us, now. Those oddballs didn't know a volleyball from a soccer ball and only joined 'cause their girlfriends were on the team. We lost them too, but I digress. This chapter is weird too. Please don't flame too hard if you don't like it. Just tell me calmly and I'll do what I can to fix errors.

It's All Over?

When Obelisk's attack finally died, the light took awhile to fade. Kaiba knew the duel was instantly won when his Lifepoints dropped to zero and the disk shut off.

The smoke was still heavy and he slowly started forward. Gradually, he found he could see through it slightly. But he couldn't see Sonja. He vaguely wondered if maybe it had been a bad idea to shut the safeties off for this duel, especially since she just took a direct blow from Obelisk the Tormentor.

" Sonja?" he called. " The duel's over. Where are you?"

There was no answer. He proceeded forward a little more, keeping his eyes on the ground as the smoke cleared. Finally, he spotted her.

Sonja was leaning against a tree, her back to him as she seemingly stared off into the forest. The blast had blown her back several feet.

" Sonja. Get up." He said. She didn't move. He paused beside her and knelt down. " Sonja." He said again.

No response. He placed his hand on her shoulder and shook her lightly.

Suddenly she collapsed backward, her eyes shut. He realized then that she wasn't conscious. Now, he was slightly concerned. If his product had injured someone, then status and value for it would plummet faster than a lead balloon.

" Sonja, quit fooling around!" he yelled. He shook her again. She didn't reply. That was when he noticed something rather disturbing.

The bottom button of her school shirt had come undone, revealing a small part of her stomach. His eyes went wide when he saw a dark reddish purple bruise forming rapidly beneath her skin.

" Oh no." he mumbled. " Just great."

Knowing she wasn't going to wake up on her own, he quickly picked her up and got to his feet, making a beeline for the car. If he didn't sort this out, not only would his product's popularity drop, but Sonja could die and then Sophie would be in huge trouble, resulting in Mokuba losing his friend. Kaiba had already made it a goal for himself to protect them just until Sonja turned eighteen. But if she died from injuries received from Obelisk, then what was the point of that goal?

He could tell that whatever had happened, that turning the safeties off had definitely been a bad idea. He'd heard his workers the other night saying that if he received a blow from Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, he could be seriously injured. He'd known it could be bad, but now that he knew firsthand that they were right, then Sonja was in trouble. Obviously, Obelisk's attack had punctured a blood vessel and she was bleeding internally, which if he didn't get her some help soon, could kill her. She may have gotten on his nerves quite often, but he certainly didn't want to see her die, nor did he want to be known as her murderer.

But he was angered to realize that he had no liable explanation as to how she ended up this way, short of something beating her. He couldn't take her to a hospital, or they'd be sure to ask questions. He only had one other option.

He had to take her back to Headquarters. The medics who worked there would be able to help. They were better trained than most doctors in Domino.

He reached the car and opened the passenger side, careful not to jar her too much. He set her inside and closed the door, going to the driver's side and getting in. He threw both duel disks and decks into the back, scattering the cards. It wasn't a big deal, he could sort out his deck later; he knew all the cards. He started the car and quickly turned back toward the city, speeding off down the road. He cast occasional glances at Sonja who appeared to be simply sleeping. If she didn't get medical attention soon, she'd go comatose. And from there, only death awaited.

Fortunately, traffic was on his side, as the rush of home-goers seemed to have faded. He was able to make it back to Headquarters within minutes. He pulled up beside the building and got out of the car, hurrying toward the front door and the speakers outside. He pressed the call button.

_Who's there?_

" Seto Kaiba." He replied. " Get the medics down here, now!"

_What? But I—_

" You heard me! If you don't make that call now, I'll see to it that you don't have a job anymore!" he threatened. The line went dead. His threat had worked, though he had no intention of carrying it out.

He went back to the car and stood by it, his arms crossed as he waited. He knew that his medical team could help. When the building had first been constructed by his stepfather, there had been a special infirmary installed for work-related injuries. They were common, seeing as the company had developed high tech battle gear at the time and heavy machinery was always being used. Of course, the infirmary wasn't put to much use nowadays, seeing as the company produced games now. But for once, he was glad it was there. His medics wouldn't ask unnecessary questions.

The doors opened and two men rushed out. He turned to them as they reached him.

" Sir, we got the call." One of them said. " But I don't see—"

Kaiba turned to the car. " She's inside." He said.

They went to the passenger side and opened the door. One of them took a glance at her and then looked at Kaiba. " She's got some minor burns. Is that all?" he asked.

" No." He said, his eyes going steely. The medic turned to his partner who gave her a quick inspection. By the time he checked her stomach his went wide. " My god! How in the world did this happen?" he exclaimed, looking toward Kaiba.

" She was injured in a duel." Kaiba said frankly. " That's all you need to know."

The two medics looked at each other and the older one quickly, but carefully lifted her out of the car. " Come on," he told his partner. " She needs help, fast! She's got a major artery depleting rapidly!"

Kaiba watched as they took her into the building toward the infirmary. For some reason, he suddenly felt as though a weight were just lifted from him. It was weird, and he couldn't explain it.

But he shook his head and shrugged it off, heading inside. He wouldn't bother waiting. He'd head to his office and get some work done until they sent him word.

He had no idea how long that would take.

/ooo/

Kaiba arrived in his office a few minutes later. Sophie and Mokuba were watching a space program. They both turned as he entered and sat down at his desk. Mokuba was about to say something, but his face changed to confusion.

" Seto? Are you okay?" he asked concernedly.

" I'm fine." Kaiba replied.

Are you sure?" Sophie asked.

" Yeah," Mokuba added. " You're white as a sheet. Did something happen?"

Kaiba had forgotten how Sonja's accident would affect him as well. He wondered if he looked any different because of it.

" I'm…I'm fine, Mokuba." He said, faltering slightly. He found he was slightly worried. For once, he had to admit that he couldn't deny it: he was afraid. Afraid of what Sophie would say for what happened to her sister. Or what Mokuba would say or think when he found out it was his fault that Sonja lay a few floors below, fighting for her life thanks to his own negligence.

Sophie and Mokuba exchanged glances and shrugged. Sophie looked over at Kaiba who was fumbling with his laptop, opening it up. This confused Mokuba slightly, but he didn't say anything.

" Mr. Kaiba?" Sophie said. " Do you know where my sister is? Mokuba said she was with you when she didn't come for me, earlier." She said.

At this, Kaiba froze. _Why am I acting like this? This is insane, I shouldn't be so affected by a simple miscalculation! _

Kaiba looked at her, but didn't reply. Here, Sophie's face changed. " Um, do you know where Sonja is?" she asked again. Kaiba blinked and looked away. Mokuba grew slightly alarmed. His brother never acted like this. He never hesitated to answer a direct question unless it didn't concern him. And this one did for sure!

" Seto?" he said. " Where's Sonja?" he said. Kaiba sighed.

" The infirmary." He replied.

The room fell still for a moment. Sophie had seemingly turned into a statue of ice. Her pupils slowly shrunk into slits and she drew a shaky breath.

Suddenly, in one fast movement, she screamed.

" WHY!! WHAT HAPPENED?? WHERE'S MY SISER!?" she shrieked. She leapt over the back of the sofa, landing hard on her stomach before leaping up and making a run for the elevator. Kaiba jumped up and Mokuba ran after her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She continued to fight him and screamed again.

" SONJA!! SONJA!! SONJA!!" she cried again and again. She whirled to Kaiba. " What happened? What did you do to my sister!?" she screamed furiously. " Tell me!!"

Kaiba regained his composure as he answered. " I was testing her dueling capabilities for the tournament. She was injured in the process and my medical team is looking after her. She'll be fine, Sophie." He said.

Sophie's eyes darkened considerably. " How could you?" she growled. She fell to the floor. " How could you!? I keep telling everyone that it's dangerous for her to duel after what happened to her! And you go and duel her anyway and hurt her!! Now she's hurt and it's _all your fault!!_" she screamed. Mokuba was standing off a ways, staring incredulously. He knew that if looks could kill, his brother would be lying dead right now. He'd never seen Sophie this angry.

" Where's her deck?" Sophie demanded.

" Why do you want it?" Mokuba asked, trying to calm her down.

" I'm getting rid of all of her cards. I'm getting rid of that stupid duel disk you made her register for. I'm getting rid of everything in our house related to dueling! Sonja's duel today was her last. I won't ever let her duel again!" Sophie declared. " Now where's her deck?"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. " Even if I had it with me, I wouldn't give it to you. It's Sonja's decision, not yours, kid." He said. Sophie continued to glower at him with hatred. " I want to see my sister." She hissed.

Mokuba placed a hand on her shoulder. " I know you're concerned about Sonja, Sophie, but you'll have to wait. We don't know the extent of her injuries. It could take awhile for whatever the medics are doing to work."

Sophie sniffed and looked at the floor. " When can I see Sonja?" she said in a breaking voice. Her sense of confidence was wearing off. She looked up at Kaiba, begging for an answer.

He tried to soften his voice a little as he replied, " As soon as the medics send me word, I'll take you to Sonja." He said as gently as he could. He knew that it would be the same for him or Mokuba if something had happened to one of them. Sophie was worried for her sister.

" Mokuba, make sure Sophie stays here. I'm going to the infirmary." He said. Sophie gasped. " I want to go too! I want to see Sonja!" she cried.

" Sophie, she was unconscious when I brought her here. It's not likely she's awake, yet. Stay here." He said. He stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor. The doors closed and it started its descent.

He couldn't help but think about what he'd done to let Sonja get this way. He'd used her as a live guinea pig in an experiment for his Egyptian God Card. Now that he could look back with hindsight, he knew that that was uncalled for. He hadn't even explained to Sonja what he was going to do. And now she was paying the price.

For the first time in years, he regretted his decision.

The doors opened and he stepped out, making his way toward the infirmary. This floor was designed to be a hospital for immediate treatment. His stepfather may have been cruel, but he provided first-rate care for his workers.

There was a small office setup in the center between two hallways leading to separate work areas for injured patrons. A single secretary was on duty there and looked up as he approached. " Good afternoon, sir." She said. " Can I help you?"

" I'm here to check up on the most recent case." He said. " She was involved in an accident with one of my duel disks."

The secretary checked her computer. " The name, please?"

" Sonja Gavens."

" Yes. She's here. But she was badly injured."

" What was the extent of her injuries?" he demanded.

" Uh, let me check her file…mild second degree burns and a punctured blood vessel in the lower abdomen. The doctors are working with her, now."

" How long?" Kaiba inquired.

" I can only estimate about an hour, sir." She said. " Even then, she'll have to stay the night in case of a relapse."

Kaiba hummed. " Fine." He said. He moved to the sidewall where a few benches had been placed for visitors of patients, such as family of injured workers and such. He sat down and folded his arms. The secretary gave him a strange look.

" Um, sir, are you going to stay there this whole time?" she asked. He gave her a look that clearly said something along the lines of, " Yes, now back off."

She blinked and returned to work, pretending he wasn't there. Kaiba allowed his mind to wander while he waited.

It was going to be a long wait.

/ooo/

Kaiba had sort of dozed off, only letting his eyes close. But at the sound of the doctor approaching the secretary's desk, his eyes snapped open and he glanced over.

" How is she?" the secretary asked.

" Much better than when she came in." the doctor replied. " Her tests show she's stable now, and we've repaired the blood vessel. The burns aren't severe and will heal on their own. But she may be slightly scarred in areas. I can't imagine what could have happened to her." He said in bewilderment. " It's like something beat her with a baseball bat and then set a hot iron to her skin. Thankfully, she was brought in, in time."

He looked over at Kaiba, then. " Oh. Good evening, Mr. Kaiba. What are you doing here?"

Kaiba stood up. " I take it that the patient is recovering." He said.

" Yes, sir. Quite nicely I might add. She's already woken up, though she may be a little drowsy from the morphine."

" I'd like to assess her progress myself, if you don't mind." Kaiba said.

" Uh, I don't know if that's a good idea, sir. She's a little, er, out of it."

" How so?"

" She started naming off colors when I left." The doctor said with a chuckle. " I'm afraid morphine can do that."

Kaiba didn't find it the least bit funny. " Don't make me repeat myself." He said. The doctor took the hint. " Uh, right away, sir. Follow me."

Kaiba followed after the doctor as he led him down the hallway toward wherever Sonja was. He paused at a door and unlocked it. " I have to warn you, she probably won't say much." He said.

The room was dark except for a light that hung on the wall above the hospital bed where he could see Sonja. He stepped into the room and approached carefully. The doctor came over and checked her blood pressure. " She's doing fine. She'll be ready to leave tomorrow."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed at this, but he said nothing. The doctor stepped back. " Well, the intercom is ready in case anything happens. I suppose there's nothing more I can do until she's able to completely awaken." He said. With that, he turned and left the room. Kaiba watched him go and then turned to Sonja. He went to the side of the door and dragged over a chair he'd seen sitting there. He took a seat and folded his arms, watching her closely. He hummed in thought.

" Sonja," he said. " Can you hear me?"

She didn't respond. He tried again. " Sonja, if you can hear me, do something to prove it." He said. He glanced at her hand, lying limply beside her.

" Close your hand if you can hear me." He said to her. He then stared fixedly at her hand, watching for any sign that she'd heard him. The doctor had said she'd woken up when he left, but didn't know if she was still awake.

His eyes widened when slowly, ever so very slowly, her fingers moved inward, gradually closing into a loose fist.

She'd heard him. She knew he was there.

" So you can hear me." He said, confused at a feeling of relief that had washed over him.

" Are you awake, then?" he asked. Her hand opened and closed again. So she was fighting the morphine that was making her so weak.

Her eyes moved beneath her eyelids and she sighed. " Someone get the number of that whatever-it-was." She mumbled. Her eyes opened slowly. " I feel like my head is gonna split open." She said quietly. " What happened?"

" You _are_ awake." Kaiba said. Her head slowly turned until she saw him.

" Seto? What are you doing here?" she said hoarsely. She cleared her throat.

" Any better?" he said indifferently.

" I guess. What exactly happened to me? All I remember is that weird monster of yours and then I guess I blacked out."

" That was my Egyptian God Card, Obelisk the Tormentor. I suppose you couldn't handle its power." He replied.

" I knew it. I suppose it's useless to ask what an Egyptian God Card is. My first Battle City duel and I wind up in the hospital. I'm pathetic as a duelist." She said, facing the ceiling and closing her eyes.

" I wouldn't say pathetic." He said. " Remember, you faced me, a world-renowned duelist. I'm not surprised that I won."

" Gee, I'm so glad you're telling me I'm only mediocre." She grumbled, her eyes still closed. " Tell me something I don't know."

" I'm not saying that. I'm saying that you'd stand a fair chance against anyone but me." He said.

" How nice of you. Next are you going to say something to actually cheer me up?"

She sighed irritably. " If I weren't so out of it, I'd ask for a rematch. I didn't even get to use my Hyozanryu. I never even found out what that special effect on my duel disk is. Speaking of which, where's my deck?"

" It got mixed up with mine when I brought you here. I'll sort mine out later and return yours." He answered.

" I sure hope you're honest." She mumbled.

" What kind of sleaze-ball do you take me for?" he snapped. " I have no use for a deck like yours."

" Lucky for you, I'm too brain dead to come up with a good comeback, Seto." She muttered. " Where's Sophie?"

" I'll call her down. She's, shall we say, anxious to see you." He growled. He made his way over to the door and pressed the intercom button.

" This is Seto Kaiba. There are two young kids on the top floor. Send them both to the infirmary, room twelve." He ordered. He stepped back and went back over, sitting down again and crossing his arms.

" Just so you know, this whole thing was due to a slight miscalculation on my part. Needless to say, it won't happen again." He said to her.

" I suppose that's your way of apologizing to me for this." She said wearily. She opened her eyes and looked over at him. " But what exactly was the miscalculation?"

He glanced away. " I had the safeties on the disks turned off. If they'd been on, you would have only been mildly bruised." He explained. Sonja's eyes widened a fraction.

" What? You mean you, you knew this could happen to me?"

" I explained that the safeties were off to begin with. I just wasn't sure of the end result." He said, trying to calm the situation.

Sonja shifted her head to face the opposite wall. " I thought I could trust you, too. I think I know what happened, now." She muttered.

" What?"

" That so-called Egyptian God Card was new, wasn't it? And you decided to kidnap me and force me into another duel, one you knew I would hardly be prepared for. You summoned that freak thing to see exactly how strong it was. Knowing you, you probably already tested it against an inanimate object somewhere around here. But you wanted to see what would happen against a live opponent. You used me in order to test your new monster and I was seriously hurt because of it. In more ways than one, I might add." She said.

Neither of them noticed the door open behind them and Sophie was about to run over when she stopped to hear what her sister said. Mokuba was standing beside her, and he couldn't believe it. Sophie covered her mouth in horror.

" What are you talking about?" he snapped.

" You betrayed the trust I had in you." She said. " From what I saw at your announcement yesterday, not many people are that fond of you. Of everyone in Domino city except for Sophie, you and Mokuba are the only ones I trusted. And now this."

" I told you, Sonja, I couldn't be sure what would happen when I played that card!"

" So you decided to risk it." She said. " Shows how little you cared about my safety since you knew that duel would be dangerous. You knew I had no hope of placing a truly powerful attack against you and you used that to your advantage."

" You have a lot more to learn about Duel Monsters than I thought." He countered.

" No, I don't, really. I know my limits, and I know when to attack and when not to. You pushed me past my limits. I don't think I can forgive you for this." She said quietly.

In the doorway, still unnoticed, Mokuba and Sophie exchanged glances of confusion and fear. What was going to happen.

" I just want to ask you for one thing." Sonja said.

" What's that?"

" Send the eviction notice within the next day or so. I think I've bothered you enough, as far as you're concerned. I've moved us three times, but four times' a charm." She said.

" No!" Sophie cried suddenly, startling them both. Kaiba stared at them in bewilderment. " How long have you two been there?" he demanded harshly.

Mokuba sighed. " Long enough." He replied. Sonja turned and stared at her sister, standing beside her friend, watching her sadly. " Are we really going to move again, sis?" she whispered.

Sonja nodded. Sophie bowed her head, staring at the floor and chewing her lip to keep from crying. Suddenly, she balled her fists and inhaled sharply. " Why can't you two just get along!?" she yelled. She then turned and hurried away, toward the elevator to go home on her own. For once, Mokuba didn't follow after her at first. He turned to his brother and Sonja.

" You know, she's right. It's the rivalry you two have that caused this." He said quietly. He then turned and walked away. Kaiba turned back to Sonja. " So that's it, then?" he muttered.

" Yep." She said. " Please leave me alone. Don't make this more complicated than it already is. Just send the eviction notice and we're gone." She said, turning her head away.

Kaiba said nothing more, but got to his feet and whirled around. He paused at the door and glanced back at her.

" For the record," he said, unsure of his next words. " You're an excellent duelist."

With that, he was gone, shutting the door behind him.

Sonja faced the ceiling once more.

A single tear slid from her eye and dropped onto the pillow.


	13. The Rare Hunters

A/N: Hi

A/N: Hi. It's me. Bit of bad news. More information on that at the bottom for those of you expecting prompt updates. For those of you who don't read the messages, don't bother complaining to me when YOU WONDER WHY I'M NOT UPDATING. (SIGH) JUST READ THE MeSSAGE At THE BOTTOM. (SAGS)

The Rare Hunters

Sonja was deemed fit to leave the following day around noon. Sophie had stayed by her the whole night and clung to her arm as the doctor gave her warnings to prevent the injury from reopening in the future.

" Since you've registered for the tournament," he said, " I won't forbid you to duel, but just try to take it easy with the competition so you don't hurt yourself." He cautioned. Sonja nodded. " Right. Thank you." She said. " I'll be sure to, after I find my deck." She lied. Truth was, after Kaiba sent the eviction notice as she'd asked him to, she'd be dropping from the tournament altogether. She was going to burn her deck and erase all memories of Domino City when she and Sophie returned to Osaka. She would forget everything about this place.

Including Seto Kaiba.

As she and Sophie made their way to the ground floor, she let her mind wander. She knew she had to just move on. Kaiba had been right; she was too naive. She made the mistake of trusting him, when she should have been watching out for her back and for her sister.

_He couldn't even tell me his real motives for helping us. _She thought bitterly. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that he was just as his reputation stated. He _was_ coldhearted and arrogant. He didn't care and he never would. She shouldn't have even bothered.

The elevator opened and they both stepped out. Sophie didn't say a word. She had nothing more to say. Sonja had broken her promise and nothing could change that.

And Sonja knew this.

As they headed for the door, one of the security guards stepped in front of them.

" Pardon me, ma'am," he said. " I have a message for you from Mr. Kaiba."

He handed her a slip of paper and a small package. She took them and nodded her thanks.

" Thank you." She said. The guard stepped aside and they left the building.

On the steps outside, Sonja took one look back and then frowned.

" Come on, Sophie. We have to get ready." She said.

She started forward, determined not to look back.

/ooo/

He watched them go, from his vantage point in his office. Watching with a blank expression on his face, Kaiba tried to name the strange feeling gnawing at him.

When he couldn't see them anymore, he turned around again. Mokuba was seated on the sofa, staring blankly at the wall. It was very, very quiet.

" Mokuba, what's wrong?" he asked.

" Seto, what do you think? I just lost my best friend." He said. " Other than you, that is."

Kaiba didn't answer. What could he say? He was still trying to come to terms with this.

He sighed and pulled a sheet of paper from a drawer in his desk.

It was the eviction notice Sonja requested. Mokuba saw this and scowled.

" I'm going for a walk." He declared. He went out to the elevator and pressed the button. The doors closed and Kaiba was left alone. He picked up his pen and set it to the paper, his hand shaking slightly. He started to fill it out, but the pen was shaking so badly, he couldn't get any legible writing down. Finally, he growled in annoyance and threw the pen across the room, tearing the paper in half and throwing it away. He stared into space angrily.

" I can't." he murmured. He sighed and rested his forehead in the palm of his hand. " I just can't."

He tried to think back to his thoughts when Obelisk had attacked her directly. What had he been thinking? He couldn't remember. All he remembered was the sound of her scream of pain as the full-blown attack slammed into her. With the safeties turned off, that could very well have killed her. According to the scientists who'd monitored his test duel, Obelisk's Fist of Fate was equal to the magnitude of getting hit by a semi. In all actuality, Sonja was lucky to be alive at all. He never really thought back on his past actions, but now he had to. He had no choice if he wanted to protect both his company and still keep his self-made promise to Mokuba.

He'd almost _killed_ someone.

But he knew she was furious now, not that he really cared. However, he decided that he wouldn't send the notice.

He knew now his only option regarding the matter would be to wait and see if he saw her during the tournament.

If not, well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

/ooo/

Sonja sat inside the shop with several empty cardboard boxes sitting beside her. She kept looking at them, reaching for one, and then stopping herself and leaning on the countertop. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. She needed to see the eviction notice, first. It had been almost two days since she left the infirmary there and still no sign of such a document. She kept looking at the phone, considering calling and asking about it. But she kept trying to tell herself she didn't want anything to do with him and that the most she'd accept was the eviction notice—whenever it finally arrived.

The tournament had already begun. She could see the duelists milling around outside her shop and had used some extra money to buy a cooler of various sodas for them to purchase. Since she wouldn't be taking part, she decided to support the cause. Even though she was upset about what he'd done, she just couldn't bring herself to dwell on it.

Sophie stayed upstairs, never saying much anymore. Sonja knew she'd miss Mokuba and she knew she'd miss him, too. But she was starting to wonder if maybe moving again wasn't such a great idea. What if he'd been right and he hadn't known what could happen when he played that card.

**No!** a rebellious voice inside of her yelled. **Of course he knew what would happen! He even told you himself that the safeties were off! That duel might have killed you!**_ But I know that I just don't hate him, though I should. He's done so much to help us. We owe him everything we have, now. _

Sonja sighed and folded her arms on the counter, resting her weary head in them.

The bell rang as someone came in. It was Sophie. She stopped in front of the counter and looked up at Sonja. " Why can't you talk to him? I want to see Mokuba, again." She said. Sonja sighed. " Sophie, it isn't that simple. What Seto did was cruel. He knew darn well what could happen with the safeties off and a card of that magnitude in play. Sophie, I almost died." Sonja said.

" I got the impression whenever I went to visit Mokuba that something about Mr. Kaiba had changed since we met them. He seemed different, just like you had. I had the feeling he did in fact like you. But you were too stuck on the past to see that."

" Sophie, Seto was nothing like I expected him to be. That's why I learned to trust him. Because he wasn't like…." She trailed off without finishing her sentence on who or what Kaiba didn't resemble. Sophie folded her arms. " You miss him, don't you?"

" Who?"

" You know who I mean. Don't let one little mistake ruin this. Someone finally begins to cross the line between treating you with respect or otherwise and you're almost too paranoid to see it."

" There's no such thing as paranoia, Sophie." Sonja said. " To be paranoid is to be very aware of your surroundings."

" There's such a thing as too much, Sonja. I won't say to make the call. Just think about it. We'll both lose something if you don't try to fix things." She said, turning to go back upstairs. Sonja stared after her blankly and sighed.

" I wish it were that easy, Sophie." She mumbled. She turned to her computer.

At that moment, the door opened. Sonja had her back to it as she typed on her word processor.

" Just a second. I'll be right with you." She said, saving her work. She turned around. A tall kid with dark hair, a pale, gaunt face and several piercings on his face leered down at her. He was dressed similar to the Goth fashion.

" Uh, can I help you?" she asked warily.

" Yeah." The kid said. " Your name's Gavens, right?"

" What's it to you?" she asked, folding her arms, eyeing him skeptically.

" Are you affiliated with someone named Seto Kaiba?" he asked. Sonja instantly became alert.

" Why no. I'm not. I've seen him around, but I'm not familiar with him." She lied. The kid stepped closer and put both hands on the counter, leaning toward her menacingly. " I heard you were just injured." He hissed. Sonja glared at him.

" So what if I was? I, I cut myself. On some broken glass."

He shook his head. " Not what I understand. You were injured in a duel, right?"

" A d-duel?" she said, her confidence slipping.

" Yep. A duel against Kaiba. I understand he used his Egyptian God Card against you. Landing you in the hospital because the duel disk safeties were off. Is that right?" he asked. Sonja let out a shaky breath.

" No. No, it's not! I cut myself! The glass cut me, they had to do stitches, that's all!" she said.

In one fluid movement, he'd leapt over the counter and Sonja scrambled back, trying to reach for the same wooden rod she used to call Sophie.

Only she wouldn't be calling Sophie.

" Liar! Now tell me what you know about Kaiba's Egyptian God Card!" he yelled, grabbing her throat and pushing her back against the wall.

" I don't know anything you creep! Get out of my shop!" she choked. The kid scowled and pressed her neck harder.

" Master Marik doesn't like people who don't obey his orders." He hissed in her ear.

" Who the heck is that?" she gasped, struggling for air.

Her eyes went wide when she heard the door open.

" Hey!" yelled a voice she recognized as Tristan's from school. " Let go of her, you freak!"

The weird kid grinned and whipped his arm around, throwing Sonja over the counter toward Tristan who caught her before she hit the ground. Instantly, she gasped and clutched at her stomach in pain.

" Forget about me, just don't let him get away!" she cried.

" No way!" Tristan retaliated. He made a rush toward the guy who sidestepped him and dashed toward the door.

" You haven't seen the last of us!" he declared, before running outside and vanishing in the crowd. Tristan frowned angrily and turned to Sonja, holding the side of her waist and breathing heavily.

" Sonja, right?" he said, bending down. " You okay?"

" No. I was just released from the hospital the other day. I think I might have reopened my stitches." She gasped.

" I won't look." Tristan said, covering his eyes and facing away. Sonja rolled her eyes. " It's only on my stomach, weirdo." She said. She pulled just enough of her shirt up to reveal where the stitches were. She sighed in relief.

" They didn't open. I guess I'm just still sore." She said. " But if you hadn't caught me, they might have."

" What happened?" he asked helping her up.

" Uh, a dueling accident." She replied.

" What kind of duel sends you to the hospital like that?"

Sonja paused. " A dangerous one?" she said. Tristan blinked. " Yeah, I guess that would be the case." He said with a chuckle. She sighed and shook her head. " That was freaky. Who's this Marik, guy?" she asked.

" Actually, Yugi and the gang and I have been tracking him and his Rare Hunters, creeps who go around stealing cards. They actually attacked Joey and stole his Red Eyes Black Dragon."

" Oh no." Sonja exclaimed.

" He's okay. But what's up with you? Heard anymore from Kaiba?"

" Here," she said. " Have a soda and take a seat. It's nice to talk to someone if you have time." She said. He grinned. " Hey, no argument there. What kinds you got?" he asked. She opened the mini cooler. " I've been providing them for the duelists. I have Pepsi products." She said.

" Anything's fine."

She handed him one and sat down at her desk. He took a seat on the cooler and opened the can. " So spill. What's up?" he asked, taking a sip.

" Well, as you can see, Kaiba's idea for the shop worked splendidly. You guys really don't give him enough credit. My shop is flourishing thanks to his help." She said.

" Sonja, you don't know the guy like we do." Tristan said. " He taunts Joey to no end."

Sonja sighed irritably. " You should see what he did to me." She grumbled. Tristan raised an eyebrow. " Huh?"

" How do you think I wound up in the hospital?" Sonja snapped.

" Wha—? You mean Kaiba did that…whatever it was to you?" Tristan exclaimed, nearly spilling his soda. " Dang, I knew the guy was mean, but violent?"

" No, no." Sonja said. " He dueled me the other day and used Obelisk."

" Obelisk? Oh, that new Egyptian God Card, thingy. Yugi told me he has it. Says it's pretty powerful. He used it against you?"

" Yeah." Sonja said. " And he had the safeties on the duel disk, off."

" What? You're kidding me!" Tristan yelled. " What happened?"

" Mild second degree burns and a punctured blood vessel." She said, quoting her medical file.

" Sonja, you should be hating the guy after that!"

" I know. But strangely, I don't." she said. Sophie's a little upset though.

" Sophie?" Tristan said.

" Oh, my little sister. She's upstairs." Sonja said. " I don't think you've met her yet."

She reached down and picked up the wooden stick. She raised it up and whacked it on the ceiling several times.

" Sophie! Come down, I'd like you to meet someone!" she called.

There was no reply. Sonja hummed.

" Sophie!" she called again.

Nothing.

" That's weird." Sonja said. She hit the ceiling again, harder this time.

" Sophie! Don't make me use your full name! I know how you hate that!" she exclaimed.

" What's her full name?" Tristan asked. Sonja gave him a wry look.

" Unfortunately for her, you're about to find out." She said. " Sophia Celeste Gavens! Get down here!"

" Sophia Celeste? That's not so bad." Tristan remarked. Sonja sighed. " I know, now if you could only convince her."

She looked up again. " I'm getting worried. Sophie hates her full name and usually always comes down when I threaten her with it. I wonder why she isn't listening."

" Let's see." Tristan said. They both headed toward the door and Sonja made her way around back, up the stairs to the apartment door. Tristan was right behind her.

" I hope she's okay." Sonja said as she opened the door. She stepped inside.

" Sophie?" she called. " Hey, where are you?"

" Sophie?" Tristan yelled, too. "Come on out!"

Sonja wandered around the room, looking around for anything out of the norm. As she was walking along the wooden floor, she heard a small _crunch_ as she stepped on something and looked down.

" Hey."

She bent down. It was a slip of crumpled paper.

" Tristan, look." She said. " This wasn't here before, and Sophie isn't the kind to leave stuff everywhere." She said. She picked it up and looked at it.

" There's writing." She said.

" Well read it." Tristan encouraged. Sonja scanned the paper.

_We have your sister. If you ever want to see her again, come join your friends at the top of the second tallest building in Domino. _

" Oh no!" Tristan yelled. Sonja leapt up. " My sister! They have my sister!" she cried, making a bolt for the door. Tristan snatched her hand. " Wait, Sonja! We have to figure out what exactly is going on! We have to find the second tallest building in Domino, first! Then we can go there and find your sister!"

Sonja, more levelheaded than Sophie was, paused and nodded. " Right. Let's see. KaibaCorp's Headquarters is the tallest building, I believe."

" So then that would make the second tallest the Law-firms building on Sector street."

Sonja nodded again. " I know where that is." She said. " I can go there on my own."

" I'm glad you said that," he said, glancing at his watch. " I have to go pick up Joey's sister from another town before tonight. I'll catch you later! Best of luck finding Sophie!" he called as he dashed outside and away to the station. Sonja sighed.

" I'd better get ready." She mumbled. She went back down into her shop and took two objects out from beneath the counter under her computer. She set them on the counter.

" The package must be my deck." She said, referring to the two things Kaiba had sent her the day she left. Sure enough, when she unwrapped the brown paper from the box, inside was her deck. She still trusted him enough to know he wouldn't remove any of her cards. She slipped her deck into her jeans pocket and unfolded the note that had come with it.

" Huh?" she exclaimed. " There's nothing but coordinates here. I wonder what this could mean. Oh well. I'd better go and get my duel disk. I have a feeling I'll need it."

She fetched her disk from the back room and slipped it onto her arm.

" There's no turning back, now." She said. " I'm coming, Sophie."

/ooo/

Meanwhile, atop the same tower Sonja was heading toward, Kaiba and Yugi faced Umbra and Lumis, two of the Rare Hunters. Both were seething. Lumis chuckled dryly beneath his half-faced mask. " Hehe, you know the rules of this duel. You know the stakes. The winners walk away with the rarest cards of the losers. The losers take a one-way trip to the Shadow Realm!"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed angrily. " We get your conditions, Lumis. Now get on with the duel."

Umbra cleared his throat at Lumis. " Hold on. We forgot about something." He said.

" What?"

" You know, Master Marik's latest acquisition. From what I hear, this may mean something to Kaiba."

" Oh, right! Hehe, we almost forgot!" he cackled. " Just recently, one of our comrades picked up a very special bargaining chip to go along with the others we've rounded up. You might be interested in this one as well, Kaiba." He said.

" That's right." Umbra continued. " We don't have it here, but you may recognize these."

He took something out of his pocket and threw it across the glass surface of the building they were standing on. Both Yugi and Kaiba strained to see what it was. Kaiba took a few steps forward and bent down to pick it up. Instantly, his eyes widened when recognition kicked in.

" These are Sophie's earrings!" he exclaimed in shock. Yugi gasped and glared at the Rare Hunters. " Who have you taken, now?" he demanded.

" I don't believe Yugi knows her, but Kaiba will for sure. A little girl with a strange hair-color, much like her sister's. Master Marik is very interested in such strange oddities. Let's say that only one was available." Lumis sneered. Kaiba gritted his teeth together angrily. " All right. I've had about enough out of you, Rare Hunters." He snarled. " I'm going to win them both back and put you out of business!"

He activated his duel disk at the same time Yugi did. All the while, Yugi was wondering who this girl called Sophie could be. Obviously, she was related to Sonja. She sounded familiar.

They positioned their decks and faced their opponents.

" Let's begin this." Yugi said.

/ooo/

Sonja kept her eyes on the tower as she hurried toward it, trying not to let it out of her sight. She paused at a parking meter to catch her breath. She knew she had to take it easy so her stitches wouldn't tear, but she couldn't help it. She had to get Sophie back. She'd considered talking to Kaiba, seeing what he thought she should do. But she decided against it.

" He couldn't, and wouldn't help me." She grumbled. She was tired and she was mad. Not a good combination. With a heavy sigh, she started forward again.

_Hang on, Sophie. I'm on my way._

/ooo/

In the midst of a large crowd, a lone figure watched amiably as the white-haired girl scurried through the crowds toward the tower. He smirked.

_That must be the Gavens girl, the one Kaiba seemed rather fond of. Now that my Rare Hunters have taken something from her as well, I may have a better chance. And I don't like chances; I like sure things. _

The lone figure leaned against a building, watching the passerby with mild interest, blending in.

His tag-team was taking care of his two biggest problems right now. He wouldn't have long to wait until he could eliminate them all.

_Until then, I'll let them know to be ready for another visitor._

/ooo/

Sonja ran inside the building and quickly searched out the elevator. She ducked inside. It was filled with other people, so she'd have to wait. It said on the note to go to the very top. She could only hope she was in time.

It took less time than Sonja anticipated and she quickly pressed the button for the top floor. The elevator surged upward. It had a glass wall and she watched, forcing back her vertigo as it rose higher and higher. She'd forgotten how much she hated heights.

The elevator finally stopped and she stepped out. She was inside a tiny room on the roof of the building. It was the observation area. She spotted two doors off to her left and bolted toward them.

What she saw when she reached the outside chilled her to the bone.

/ooo/

At the sound of another arriving, Lumis and Umbra looked up. " Ah, yet another of Master Marik's schemes is working." He cackled. " This duel will soon become more interesting."

The duel had already started to some degree. Yugi had his Magnet Warrior out and Umbra had one monster as well.

" What do you mean?" Yugi inquired suspiciously. Umbra chuckled morosely. " Just look behind you." He said, pointing.

Both duelists turned around. Kaiba's eyes widened.

" Sonja?"

Sonja stood several feet away, staring blankly at them. " Seto? Yugi? What's going on? Where's Sophie?" she called.

" Sophie?" Yugi muttered.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed and he tossed Sophie's earrings over to Sonja who caught both one-handed. Instantly, she started to shake.

" Good lord." She whispered. She whirled to the two Rare Hunters. " What have you done with my sister?" she cried.

" I see you received our note. Like Mokuba, your sibling is also safe—for now." Lumis said. Sonja started.

" Mokuba? You mean you took him, too?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

" You shouldn't even be here, Sonja." Kaiba snapped. She glared at him.

" You can't tell me what to do. I'm perfectly fine. Now tell me what's going on!"

Yugi turned to her. " These Rare Hunters have kidnapped your sister as a leverage, as they did my friends and Kaiba's brother. They work for an evil man called Marik."

Sonja gasped. " Marik? Jeez, I was just attacked by one of those goons not a half-hour ago! That must be when they took Sophie!"

" Stay where you are, Sonja. We'll deal with this." Kaiba said. Sonja frowned. " No. I'm getting my sister back if it kills me!"

" That's what will happen if you continue to act foolishly!" Kaiba countered angrily. " Just stay there!"

" Actually," Umbra interrupted. " So we can get this duel underway, why don't we raise the stakes a little more in your favor."

As he said this, a strange purple static barrier suddenly surrounded Sonja, growing brighter as it flickered every couple of seconds. For a second, she stared at it curiously as it completely encased her. Then, it crackled furiously and she screamed and clutched her arm, falling to her knees in the process.

" Sonja!" Kaiba yelled. " Now what, Rare Hunters?" he snapped.

" Simple." Lumis replied. " If you win, not only will you be reunited with your friends and loved ones, but you will also win the soul of that girl, back. See that aura that surrounds her? That is a special concoction of Master Marik's. He designed it to decrease the energy of whatever's trapped inside it, gradually cleansing the body of its soul and banishing the soul to the Shadow Realm! In this case, she'll remain safe so long as the chosen one's Lifepoints remain intact. And I choose…Kaiba!"

" What?"

" If you can protect your Lifepoints, the girl will be spared. Seeing she is already injured from the attack by Obelisk, it should be easy to dispatch her soul from its weakened body. The more Lifepoints you lose, the more she loses of her strength until nothing remains!"

Kaiba scowled and glanced back at Sonja. She had already recovered from the first shock, but she looked mad as she knelt down on the ground inside the sphere. Her eyes met his and she nodded. " I only have one thing to say to this." She declared. " Win this duel and get back Mokuba, Sophie and the others! Just forget about me until the duel's over. I'll be fine." She called. Kaiba frowned at her in contemplation and nodded once. " Fine." He said. He turned back to the Rare Hunters. " I accept this new condition. But I won't lose."

Lumis and Umbra both sneered at them.

" The lets' continue this duel, shall we?" Umbra said.

There was no going back.

A/N: Okay, I'm having a Lot of trouble with my KeyBoArd, aS you caN tell. My stepdaD IN A MAD TEMPER A FEW WEEKS AGO DROPPED MY LAPTOP ON THE FLOOR FROM ABOUT FOUR FEET MY DAD SAYS IT PROPBABLY DAMAGED THE KEYBOARD AND I HAVE TO SEND IT OUT TO HIM to get it fixed NEEDLESS TO SAY THERE WON"T BE MANY UPDATES I'm not yelling, my computer is doing this all on its own. So please be patient while we get this sorted out. It may at least a month or so before I can update again, much less write. Please don't abandon me because of this and please try to be Patient for those of you planning to stay. And If I don't respond to your reviews, this screwy message should speak for itself.


	14. Duel on The Rooftop

A/N: I'M BACK

A/N: I'M BACK!! And there's good news!! There are 213 pages of material that survived the overhaul. I'll be able to update several times. But only once every several days. I need to rewrite the other half of the story. But I'm finally back and I've got my story, so thanks to all of you who stuck with me.

Duel on The Rooftop

From her vantage point in the strange sphere that held her captive, Sonja was able to see everything that was happening. And she could hear, too.

" Accepting our challenge was a huge mistake!" Lumis yelled. " When this duel is over, you two will be banished to the Shadow Realm and Master Marik will have gained a new servant body to do his bidding in his quest." He cackled.

Yugi realized he was talking of Sonja.

" Then, we shall deliver your Egyptian God Cards to Master Marik and he shall posses all three!"

" Wrong!" Yugi countered. " We will prevail and you will release Mokuba, Sonja and all our friends!"

" Never." Lumis spat. He drew his card and a hideous grin spread across his face. " Just look at this." He turned the card around. " It's my Mask of The Accursed magic card!"

At this, Yugi cringed back a bit.

" And once I place it on your monster, it will be rendered useless, Yugi!" he cackled. " So try my mask on for size, Magnet Warrior!"

The mask from the card then materialized onto Yugi's Magnet Warrior.

Lumis chuckled darkly. " It's a perfect fit! And as long as that mask stays on, your monster can't attack or defend! And that's not the only effect, Yugi. Until the mask comes off, you will lose five hundred points for every turn you take! You're finished!"

He laughed once and removed a card from his hand. " I'll also place one card facedown. Now it's back to your side."

Yugi stared at the cards facedown on the field thoughtfully.

_It's probably a trap card. Lumis hasn't played one monster card, yet. I think I've figured out their team strategy. I'll bet Umbra holds the monster arsenal for the duel in his deck, while Lumis's deck contains magic and trap cards to weaken our monsters. _

Lumis leered at them. " You'll be in the Shadow Realm very soon!" he taunted.

Sonja watched silently as the duel progressed rather slowly at first. She wasn't entirely sure of the stakes, but what Lumis just said confused her.

" What do you mean?" she shouted. Yugi looked back at her. " The glass upon which we stand is thin. If we lose, it will self-destruct, taking us straight to another world called The Shadow Realm."

Sonja gasped. " No! Don't let that happen! Please!" she cried in alarm. Kaiba glanced at her.

" Stop worrying, Sonja. These punks don't stand a chance." He said. Sonja supposed that was his way of reassuring her that they'd be fine. Meanwhile, Kaiba knew what was going to happen if he lost Lifepoints. Not only would he be running dangerous risks, he'd be putting Sonja through more agony. Thanks to his promise, that was something he couldn't allow.

Lumis chuckled gleefully. " Yes, as soon as your Lifepoints reach zero, you will take a trip into the Shadow Realm! And speaking of Lifepoints, you lose five hundred thanks to my Mask of The Accursed!"

Yugi's face darkened considerably. " Enough!" he yelled. He drew a card, as it was his turn and glanced at it.

_Perfect! The Beast of Gilfer! Now I can sacrifice my Magnet Warrior, destroy their mask and summon this more powerful monster!_

While Yugi contemplated his card, Kaiba watched him with growing impatience.

_If Yugi makes a foolish move, he'll take me down with him. So he'd better not screw this up. I defeated these two Rare Hunters on my own before, and I can do it again. _

From the other side of the playing field, Lumis grinned. " Why don't you make your move, Yugi? Trying to delay your trip to the Shadow Realm?" he said with a fiendish laugh. Yugi scowled. " Not quite." He said. " Now, I'll sacrifice my Magnet Warrior—"

Lumis leapt at this. " Not so fast, Yugi! Behold! You've just triggered my trap card, Mask of Restrict! With this on the field, you two can't win. That's because for as long as my Mask of Restrict card remains in play, neither of you can sacrifice your monsters! And without sacrifices, you cannot summon more powerful monsters to the field, making it that much easier to defeat you!"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. _I knew it! If we lose this duel because of Yugi, he'll be sorry. _

Umbra smirked. " Of course, without the ability to sacrifice, your Egyptian God Cards are all but useless, now—until we claim them for Marik!"

Kaiba's eyes narrowed dangerously. " Humph. We'll see about that." He grumbled.

Yugi paused to gather his strategy. But things didn't look good, so far.

_There's no way we can win with weak monsters! We've got to turn this duel around!_

Sonja folded her knees up and rested her chin on them wearily. This was getting confusing. She wanted Sophie. She wanted Kaiba and Yugi to win. But most of all—

" I want out of this stupid bubble." She growled. " Come on! These guys are worthless!" she yelled. " They couldn't duel their way out of a balloon!" she taunted. Umbra scowled. " Watch it, kid. Or we might just have to do something drastic to a certain someone whose earrings we stole."

Sonja gulped and fell silent. In her position, she knew that hers and Sophie's only hope lay in the decks and skills of Yugi and Kaiba.

" Please." She whispered, hoping he could hear her. " Don't let us down."

Unbeknownst to her, Kaiba _did_ hear her.

" I won't." he mumbled.

Yugi focused his attention back on the duel. " I place one card facedown and then I summon Kuriboh, in defense mode." He declared. He then glanced over at Kaiba grimly. _If we're gonna beat these Rare Hunters, we're gonna have to duel like a team._

" Kaiba, you know there's only one way we can win." He said. Kaiba rolled his eyes. " I don't need you telling me how to duel, Yugi. So you can forget the old teamwork speech. Got it?" he grumbled. " Who needs it?"

Yugi's frustration grew. " You do." He mumbled irritably.

" If you two are finished arguing, it's my turn!" Umbra declared. He glanced over at Yugi's side of the field. " I could attack your Magnet Warrior, Yugi. But since it reduces your Lifepoints by five hundred each turn, I'd be a fool to destroy it."

He moved his gaze to Kaiba's side. " However there's your monster, Kaiba. But your facedown card could be a trap. Even the fun of lowering your Lifepoints just to see that girl experience Master Marik's power isn't enough to make me take a risk. And I don't want to risk that facedown card of yours."

Lumis cast a sly look at his partner. " Not to worry, Umbra." He whispered into a little microphone beneath his all-too-convenient mask. " Attack. I've got it covered."

" Excellent." Umbra whispered back. " First of all, I'll set one card facedown."

He grinned and gestured to the monster played before Sonja had arrived.

" And now, my Shining Abyss, attack Kaiba's Vorse Raider!"

Kaiba braced. " Hold on, fool." He said. " You've activated my Ring of Destruction!"

Yugi perked up suddenly at this and looked over to see what would happen, knowing full well the possible and likely outcome.

That's when he remembered, but knew he could say nothing and only watch, downcast.

Sonja let out a relieved sigh. Perhaps she wasn't going to have to waste too much energy in the stupid bubble she was trapped in.

Kaiba continued his strategy. " My destructive trap card will wipe out your Shining Abyss. Both of us will lose close to two thousand Lifepoints, but only you will be out one monster."

Yugi grimaced and looked away. He was glad that this would give them a great advantage, but it would cost. Dearly.

Sonja swallowed nervously and braced for the inevitable. " I hope you know what you're doing." She said shakily. That's when Kaiba remembered too and froze up for just a second.

_I'd completely forgotten that the more Lifepoints I lose, the more Sonja is injured in that weird sphere she's trapped in. This had better work. I made a promise and I don't intend to break it now. _

Suddenly, Lumis stepped in. " Sorry to disappoint you, as much as I'd like to see Master Marik's dark magic at work over there, but my card cancels out your little trap!" he declared.

" What?" Kaiba exclaimed in shock. Sonja didn't know whether to be horrified or relieved. In the end, she chose horrified.

" Activate Cursed Transfer!" Lumis bellowed. Kaiba gasped and faltered back a step.

" My counter-trap card is triggered whenever you activate a trap card." Lumis explained. " It automatically transfers your card's effect back to your monster. Say goodbye to your Vorse Raider, and a large portion of the girl's soul energy as well!"

Kaiba scowled in annoyance. Yugi wracked his brain for solutions.

_Umbra and Kaiba will both lose two thousand Lifepoints when Kaiba's monster is destroyed. Not only that, but Sonja will be greatly weakened to the point where she won't have enough energy to sit up, even. _

_Wait, what if they have a magic card to protect them?_

Yugi gasped. " Kaiba, they may have something planned!" he tried to warn him.

" Zip it, Yugi. I know what's going on, and I don't need your advice."

Lumis raised a triumphant fist. " Prepare to lose your monster and almost half your Lifepoints!" Lumis declared. Kaiba could only watch as his monster was destroyed. But he seemed strangely cool. He glanced back at Sonja once.

When his Vorse Raider took the hit from his trap card and the smoke began to clear, Sonja realized she was still okay. " What?" she asked as the smoke cleared. Kaiba seemed fine as well. That's when she saw it.

Kaiba smirked at the Rare Hunters. " I've activated my magic card, Ring of Defense! It will protect my Lifepoints from any damage." He said. " Nice try."

Umbra suddenly beamed fiendishly. " Why thank you. But I'm afraid your Ring of Defense won't be helping you, Kaiba." He said.

" Why not?" Kaiba demanded, growing a little uneasy. He'd barely protected both his Lifepoints and Sonja from further harm. What could they be planning now?

Umbra grinned. " Because I activate this! My Spell Transfer Magic Card! It transfers your card's effects to me, which means my Lifepoints will remain untouched while yours are almost cut in half. And you know what that means!" he cackled. Kaiba glanced at his disk as the meter fell. He went cold suddenly when a horrible scream rent the air from behind him and he found himself paralyzed for a moment. When he did look back, he was just in time to see Sonja fall onto her side, shaking as though freezing and her eyes blank with pain.

" Seto." She whispered feebly. " Don't let these creeps win."

" Don't worry, I won't." he said. Yugi turned to her, too. " Hang in there, Sonja. We'll set you free, soon. I promise." He said. She nodded, her eyes closed.

Kaiba faced his opponents again. Lumis chuckled darkly. " Heh, heh. Too bad you won't be seeing your brother again." He taunted.

" But where you're going, that will be the least of your worries, Kaiba." Umbra intercepted. " Time to wipe out the rest of your Lifepoints! Shining Abyss, attack now! Say hello to the Shadow Realm!"

Kaiba stared at the attack hurtling toward him, unable to do anything. Sonja kept whispering to herself, too weak to say anything out loud.

/ooo/

Meanwhile, down by the harbor, a familiar figure struggled against her captors dragging her toward an old warehouse.

" Hey! Where are you taking me? Let me go, now!" Tea snapped.

" You talk too much." One of the backfired at her.

" Do you creeps really think you're gonna get away with this?"

They opened a door and threw her inside. " Welcome home." They teased cruelly, slamming the door shut. Tea ran to the door.

" Get back here! Let me out of this dump, now! You're in big trouble!" she warned. But her threats were in vain. They were gone. Tea sighed and turned around. " There's gotta be a way out of this place." She said, looking around for any means of escape. " I wonder what those jerks did with Joey." She sat down on a box. " And what do they want with us anyway? It's not like I have anything valuable."

She gasped suddenly and a vision of Ishizu at the museum talking of her Millennium Necklace popped into her mind.

" Is this part of the threat Ishizu warned us about? Maybe these are the guys that are after Yugi! That's why they attacked us! It all makes sense, now! Someone's trying to get something from Yugi and they're doing it by putting his friends in danger!

/ooo/

Sonja bowed her head back to the concrete roof of the building as the attack thrashed toward Kaiba. She heard Umbra yell, " You're finished, Kaiba!"

" It's over." She murmured.

Suddenly, an explosion intercepted the blast heading for him and deflected it. Sonja looked up weakly. She gasped lightly.

A wall of Kuribohs had appeared before Kaiba, blocking his Lifepoints from the attack.

" What happened?" Lumis yelled. Kaiba could only stare in shock. Then he whirled to Yugi. " You! You saved my Lifepoints!" But he couldn't help but think, _And Sonja, as well. _

Yugi looked up. " Your attack has been blocked, thanks to my magic card. It's simple. Multiply by Kuriboh. Now your monsters attack won't affect my teammate!"

Umbra growled in annoyance. " Your fur balls won't be around for too long. And when they go, so will your Lifepoints!"

Kaiba hummed and closed his eyes. " I realize your magic card saved my Lifepoints. But next time, I'll do it myself!" he yelled.

" Kaiba." Yugi said. " If you ever expect to save Sonja and see Mokuba again, we need to help each other! Remember, if one of us falls, the other won't stand a chance against their unified tag-team assault."

Kaiba frowned. " Are you questioning my skills as a duelist, Yugi?" he exclaimed in anger.

" I'm saying we must combine our forces in order to defeat these Rare Hunters. They duel as a team, building on one another's moves and we have to do the same! I saved you and if you don't protect me the same way, I may not be around to save you again." Yugi said gravely.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. _Then good riddance. _

Sonja groaned heavily as she raised herself up. " Seto." She rasped out. He turned. " Sonja." He said in surprise. Breathing heavily and clutching the place on her waist where she'd been injured, she looked up at him. " Please. Just try to work with him. Just now. Think of Mokuba and Sophie. Think of everyone depending on the two of you in this duel. Please." She gasped, falling back down with a sigh. Kaiba didn't respond. He just turned around and faced the two.

Lumis resisted the urge to chuckle again. " If they continue to disagree, their Egyptian God Cards will be ours in no time." He said.

" Lumis," Umbra said into the microphone. " We have to destroy Yugi's defensive wall before we can move in and deplete the rest of Kaiba's Lifepoints. Can you handle it?"

Lumis cackled gleefully. " Yes, and they'll never know what hit them." He said. " Until it's too late!"

/ooo/

Not too far away, in the same warehouse Tea had been thrown in, the very same Tea was now attempting an escape act through the window.

" Almost got it! Just a few more!" she gasped as she reached for the sill. But just then, the boxes beneath her crumpled and she toppled down onto a pile of banged up cardboard, groaning. " Oh man, that was not fun." She grumbled, sitting up. " Well, it could have been worse, right?" just as a box collapsed onto her head.

Suddenly, the door opened and two voices yelled almost at once.

" Let me go! Ah!" a voice she recognized as Mokuba's yelled as he was thrown in.

" Help! Sonja! Help us!" another cried.

" Shut up, you brat. Your sis ain't coming to get you!" one of the goons snapped, throwing her in, too. They slammed the door and Tea threw the box off her head.

" Mokuba!" she cried. " Are you okay?"

" Tea! Yeah, I guess. Hey, Sophie. You all right?" he asked a little girl with turquoise hair sitting nearby. She nodded. " Mm-hmm. But I want to go home. I'm scared!" she sniffled.

" Who is this?' Tea asked.

" You know Sonja, right? This is her little sister, Sophie. The Rare Hunters kidnapped her too, to try to get Sonja to give up info about my brother. As far as I know, nothing yet."

" So these guys are called Rare Hunters?" Tea asked.

" Yeah. And I was trying to find you guys when they grabbed me."

" They got me going up the stairs to our house." Sophie muttered.

" The same thing happened to Joey and me!" Tea exclaimed. " And I think I know why."

" So do I." Mokuba said. " They're just using us as bait to trap my brother and Yugi and take their rarest cards away from them. That's because they both have an Egyptian God Card."

" Egyptian what's?" Tea said.

" Gods. They're the most powerful cards in Duel Monsters and there's only three. Whoever has them all will be unbeatable, Tea. We all just got caught in the middle."

" Sonja doesn't even have anything like that." Sophie whispered. " I have this horrible feeling. I hope she's all right."

" Are you sure that's all these guys want?" Tea asked.

" Well, it's the only thing I can think of. Why?" Mokuba asked.

" Uh, no reason. Really, it's nothing." Tea said. But Mokuba got a sudden inkling.

Tea looked away. _If this is anything about ancient evil forces trying to destroy the world, then this has got to be about more than just getting a few good Duel Monster cards. I know it!_

/ooo/

Lumis grinned again. " Master Marik will be pleased when we deliver both Egyptian God Cards to him." He said.

" And tell him you've been banished to the Shadow Realm." Umbra finished for his partner.

" Enough of this." Kaiba said, drawing a card. _My Blue Eyes White Dragon! This card can destroy their monsters with ease. But I have to sacrifice two weaker monsters to summon it and I can't do that. As long as these Rare Hunters have Mask of Restrict in play, I can't sacrifice anything! _

_But I'll find a way. I'll wipe them both out myself, and take back my brother and Sonja. They'll be sorry they ever met me. _

Yugi watched as Kaiba worked out his strategy in his head.

_We can do this, Kaiba, we just have to work as a team. _He thought. But he knew better by now than to get his hopes up.

Sonja, being too weak to sit up and watch, just lay seemingly asleep, listening to the duel instead.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he began. " First I'll place one card facedown." He said. " Then I'll summon Battle Ox in defense mode! To protect my Lifepoints." He said. _And to keep Sonja out of danger, for now at least. But I can't guarantee her safety for very long if I lose any more Lifepoints. _

Umbra laughed wickedly. " You can't expect to win by hiding behind weak monsters." He said. " Our Shining Abyss has twenty-six hundred attack points. It can easily wipe out your Battle Ox and tear down your wall of Kuribohs, leaving your Lifepoints wide open. Right, Lumis?"

" Precisely, Umbra. Looks like you'll never see your friends again, not where you'll be going." He muttered as he drew a card. " But before I wipe out your Lifepoints, I must first wipe out defensive wall of miniature monsters. And I have just the magic card to do it. Another mask! Behold! My Mask of Despell! It will cover your magic card and conceal its effect, so I'm afraid your Kuriboh army will be reduced back to one. With your weak defenses crumbling, it's only a matter of time before we destroy you both! This was an easier task than I thought, and I'm not through with you, yet! Just like your Magnet Warrior's mask, with this in play, you lose five hundred more Lifepoints each turn."

Yugi was fighting to stay calm. _Oh no! If we don't figure something out soon, with these masks in play, I'll lose a thousand Lifepoints each turn. We have to figure something out soon! Or we're both done for! _

" Next," Lumis declared. " I'll summon my Grand Tiki Elder and rid the field of your Kuriboh!"

Yugi growled in anger as he shielded his eyes from the blast of the attack as his Kuriboh was destroyed.

" Now your Lifepoints are wide open for an attack, Yugi." Lumis declared. " Since your Magnet Warrior can't defend you, your trip the Shadow Realm will come sooner than you think! You can't possibly win! Not only can you not sacrifice your monsters to summon stronger ones, but thanks to our mask cards, you lose one thousand Lifepoints each turn, Yugi. You're finished!"

" We'll see." Yugi declared. _This doesn't look good. I need a card to turn this around. _" I draw." He said, taking a card off the top of his deck. _This trap card allows me to destroy one card in my opponent's hand. That's not enough to help us. But maybe that card can help. If I were to activate Card Destruction, each duelist would have to throw out their cards and redraw an entirely new hand. But wait, if Kaiba has a plan to beat them and I force him to get rid of his entire hand, I could ruin his plan. But what choice do I have? Kaiba doesn't want to duel as a team, so I have no idea what his strategy is. I have to make a move, but it could cost us the duel, and we can't afford to lose!_

" What are you waiting for?" Kaiba snapped. Yugi looked up. " You couldn't possibly make things any worse than you already have, Yugi. Thanks to you, the cards we're holding are absolutely useless. In fact, I have a card in my hand that could win this game for us, but due to your sloppy dueling, I can't summon it to the field. It's better off in the graveyard."

Yugi's eyes went wide. _It sounds like Kaiba wants to discard his hand. I think I know what I need to do!_

Sonja kept her eyes closed, listening to the duel. She felt so sleepy. But she heard Kaiba's voice and that reminded her of the duel and helped her stay awake.

_Please, don't let me down._

On the other side of the playing field, Lumis laughed mockingly. " Well, have you ever seen such a pathetic team?"

" Defeating them and taking their Egyptian God Cards will be simple!" Umbra agreed. " They've already done most of the work for us."

" That's enough!" Yugi said. " I place one card facedown. I'll now end my turn."

" I see." Said Umbra. " It appears you weren't able to summon another monster to the field to protect your Lifepoints. Not that it would have mattered, for I'm about to summon an unstoppable creature."

He drew a card out of his hand. " But first, I need to play my all-powerful magic card known as Curse of The Masked Beast."

" What is that?" Yugi exclaimed.

" This card allows me to sacrifice both our monsters, then call forth one of the most destructive forces you've ever experienced. Behold, the almighty power of The Masked Beast! Nothing can stop his wrath! So prepare to lose it all, Yugi!"

" It can't be!" Yugi exclaimed.

" Time to say goodbye to your Lifepoints! Now, send him to the Shadow Realm, my Masked Beast!"

Yugi closed his eyes as the monster charged forward.

" Battle Ox! Defend!" Kaiba yelled suddenly. The Battle Ox leapt in front of the attack, being destroyed by the Masked Beast.

" What's this? Kaiba's monster intercepted my attack! It can't be!" Umbra exclaimed in shock. Yugi just stared in disbelief.

" Are you surprised?" Kaiba said. " This is a double-duel, after all, and my teammate was in danger. So I used my Battle Ox to defend his Lifepoints against your Masked Beast."

" I thought that they weren't working together as a team, Lumis." Umbra hissed into the microphone.

" Thank you." Yugi said to Kaiba.

" Yugi, give it a rest. There's one reason I helped you; so I could win."

" Then you're a fool!" Lumis yelled. " Saving your partner caused you to lose your only defensive monster."

" And soon it will cause you to lose the rest of your Lifepoints when my Masked Beast moves in for the attack." Umbra concluded.

_Unless Yugi returns my favor. _Kaiba thought to himself.

" You fools can't win!" Umbra yelled.

" Reveal facedown card!" Yugi declared. " Card Destruction!"

" Oh no!" Lumis cried.

" We lose our entire hands!" Umbra said.

" That's correct, now each duelist must deposit their hand into the card graveyard. One they're buried, you must start over by drawing a completely new hand." _This might be my only chance to save my friends. _

" Now I'll send my hand to the graveyard." Kaiba said. Lumis smirked.

" Did your partner force you to give up any cards you needed?"

" Actually, what just happened is quite the opposite, Rare Hunter. Without the ability to sacrifice, I wasn't able to summon the monster in my hand. But now I can." He replied. " Watch closely! Reveal facedown card! Monster Reborn! Now I can bring back the powerful monster I just sent to the graveyard! My Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

" It's not possible!" Umbra cried in alarm.

" It is." Yugi contradicted.

" This is the price you pay for using Sonja and my little brother to get to me!" Kaiba yelled as his monster reappeared. " Now, maybe you'll think twice before disrespecting the Kaiba family. Now, go, my Blue-Eyes!" he yelled.

The dragon faced the two Rare Hunters who quaked in fear before it.

Meanwhile, Sonja couldn't help but smile a little.

So he did care.

A/N: I'd like to send a very special thanks to The Duelist's Heiress. She's been with me this entire time on stories totally unrelated to Of Life and Arrangements. So, TDH, this chapter is dedicated to you for staying with me. Thank you.


	15. Where Danger Lurks

A/N: Man, I forgot how long these chapters are

A/N: Man, I forgot how long these chapters are. Fifteen pages. Not bad. Anyway, this story is steadily being built up again where it got deleted. Updates will be longer apart from each other, but they'll be better than they were. I promise.

Where Danger Lurks

Sonja forced her eyes to stay open as she watched Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon appear. Once, it had symbolized doom for her.

Now, it symbolized hope.

" My Blue-Eyes has arrived!" Kaiba declared. " You're done! Thanks to my Monster Reborn Magic card, I was able to bring my great beast back from the graveyard.

" And this is just the beginning." Yugi said. " Kaiba and I make a powerful team and you Rare Hunters are no match for the combined strength of our decks! And when we prevail, you _will_ lead us to where you are holding Mokuba and the others captive!"

Kaiba smirked. " I think what my partner is trying to say is that thanks to my superior skills, you're finished. Right?"

" Not quite." Yugi said. Over on the ground, Sonja sighed irritably and rolled her eyes. " Oh good grief." She muttered.

" Don't tell me you're still stuck on this teamwork thing, Yugi. It's getting a little old. Listen up, here's the deal. I'll win this duel on my own, and if it's convenient, I may help you, but don't mistake it for teamwork or you're going to be very disappointed. I'm in this for Mokuba. Got it?"

He glanced back at Sonja, thinking, _I also want to free Sonja. But I'm sure as heck not going to say that. She'd never let me live it down. _

Yugi stared at him a second. Kaiba's eyes narrowed. " I will do whatever it takes to free Sonja and my brother. I'm not about to lose. These fools don't realize. No one disrespects my family and gets away with it."

" This isn't only about you. My friends are in danger as well, Kaiba." Yugi pointed out.

" That's your problem." Kaiba retaliated. " I'm dueling for me."

" But Kaiba, you need my help and I need yours. Lumis and Umbra still have the upper hand."

" Your partner is right." Lumis said. " You may have summoned your Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Kaiba. But it's useless against our mighty Masked Beast. Our camouflaged creature has two hundred more attacks points than your pathetic dragon and as soon as it attacks, your Blue-Eyes will be gone!"

" He's wrong, Kaiba! You can destroy their monster!" Yugi said determinedly. Kaiba gasped. " I can?"

" Look, if you want to win, you're going to have to trust me on this. Like it or not, we're a team and if you attack them with your Blue-Eyes White Dragon, I promise I will back you up. Trust me."

Kaiba looked away. _Is this some sort of trick? Why would Yugi tell me to attack a monster that's stronger than mine? I smell a rat. _

" Attack them, Kaiba. Do it!" Yugi said. Kaiba hesitated.

" Seto!" Sonja yelled suddenly. He turned around. Sonja had somehow gotten to her feet, clutching her side painfully. He felt his blood run cold when he realized she must have opened her stitches. She was breathing heavily, obviously struggling to stay up. She fixed her gaze on him and drew a breath. " Please, I'm begging you to do as he says." She gasped. "Yugi's right. You have to win if you want any hope of saving Mokuba and the others. I'm counting on you as well, for Sophie's depending on you, too. Mokuba is strong and can handle himself in a tough situation, but Sophie isn't. She's been far too badly damaged to think straight when logic is needed. If this doesn't work, she'll retreat. I need you to trust me, as well, Seto." She said quietly. " Just trust him. Yugi won't steer you wrong, Seto." She said.

She doubled over suddenly as he knees buckled and she fell to the ground.

" Sonja!" Kaiba yelled in alarm. He couldn't see any signs to indicate whether her stitches had broken. Unfortunately, she was wearing that red sleeveless top and it was the same color as blood, if not a tad darker. If she'd opened them, he had no way of knowing short of her telling him. By the time the duel ended, she could be in serious trouble.

_I made a promise to Mokuba. I won't break it. _He thought angrily. He frowned. " Hang on, Sonja." He whispered so quietly, he barely heard himself. He turned back to the Rare Hunters. Yugi looked at him expectantly. " Are you going to attack?" he asked.

" I will, Yugi." Kaiba said. " It's not in your best interests to give me bad advice, because you'd lose, too. Now, my Blue-Eyes, attack their Masked Beast!"

Lumis screamed as the dragon charged forward. " White Lightning!" Kaiba yelled.

_This better work._ Kaiba thought anxiously. He resisted the urge to look back at Sonja again. He had no time to waste.

The attack struck the Masked Beast and for a moment, time seemed to go in slow motion as it hit dead on, tearing the creature asunder until nothing remained. Kaiba smirked. " Your Masked Beast is gone!" he declared.

" That's not possible!" Umbra exclaimed in shock.

" Our Masked Beast was more powerful than your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Lumis said in disbelief. " You must have cheated!"

" He's right, it's a trick!" Umbra agreed.

" Guess again." Yugi said suddenly. " Your creature was beaten by Kaiba's Blue-Eyes fair and square. Please allow me to explain, Rare Hunters. When I sent my Beast of Gilfer to the card graveyard last turn, I activated its special ability. It reduces the attack points of any monster I choose by five hundred. And I chose your Masked Beast, lowering its attack points to twenty-seven hundred and making it weaker than Kaiba's Blue-Eyes. And now, in case you haven't noticed, you have no monsters on the field to protect your Lifepoints, so when Kaiba attacks you again, you'll be finished."

He glanced at Kaiba again. " You need my help more than you think." He said. Kaiba glared at him. _He's trying to take the glory for defeating their creature. But it was my Blue-Eyes that did all the work, and I'll win us this duel. _

" Well, my turn is over." Kaiba said. " But this duel has only just begun. And the next time I attack, you two will be begging for mercy. So go ahead and make your pathetic move, Lumis. There's no hope for you, now."

" We'll see about that." Lumis said. He drew a card and looked at it.

" Heh, heh, heh, I'll place this monster in defense mode. Then I'll place two more cards facedown and that shall end my turn."

Yugi blinked in confusion. " What is his plan?" he wondered aloud.

Lumis grinned. _Heh! Once my facedown cards are activated, Kaiba's Blue-Eyes will be destroyed! _

He pointed to Yugi. " And now, thanks to my two magic mask cards that are still on the field, Mask of The Accursed and Mask of Despell, you lose one thousand more Lifepoints, Yugi, so go ahead and draw a card. Nothing can save you, now!"

Yugi placed his new card in his hand and studied it. _I'll take a chance and attack the monster he's placed in defense mode. I may defeat it. Or I may force Lumis to use up a trap card. _

" All right, Lumis. I'll place one card facedown, and then I'll summon, Alpha, The Magnet Warrior!"

Yugi's monster appeared on the field. " Alpha, attack now!" Yugi declared. Lumis scowled. _I can't waste my trap card on this monster. I must save it for Kaiba's Blue-Eyes. _

Alpha struck the facedown monster, which turned out to be Melchid the Four-Faced Beast. Lumis continued to glare angrily at Yugi. "He destroyed my Four-Faced Beast! We've got to regain control of this duel and win their Egyptian God Cards for Master Marik!"

Umbra glared at his partner as he spoke into the microphone. " We don't have any monsters left, Lumis. So if Kaiba attacks with his Blue-Eyes White Dragon, we're done!"

" Not to worry, Umbra. I've got it all figured out. We can wipe out Kaiba's dragon, now! My plan is guaranteed to succeed!"

Umbra appeared skeptical. " Very well." He said.

" Say goodbye to your precious Blue-Eyes and hello to the Shadow Realm for all eternity!" Lumis cackled at Kaiba.

/ooo/

Back at the harbor warehouse, Mokuba and Tea discussed the situation. Poor Sophie, long since gone into shock from fear and absence of her sister, sat huddled in a corner, sobbing softly.

" There's no way those Rare Hunters are going to get away with this, Tea." Mokuba said angrily. " As soon as my brother finds us, those jerks are gonna pay! I just wish there was a way to get in touch with Seto and let him know where we are. But they took my laptop."

He glanced at Sophie. " We also need to find Sonja or Sophie's gonna lose it. I don't think she's ever been without her sister, before." He said speculatively.

" I guess we just gotta wait it out." He said. Tea looked up. " Sooner or later, he'll track us down." Mokuba kept saying as her gaze moved up to the window.

" Maybe there's a way, for you to get to him." She said. He looked up in surprise.

" Huh?"

/ooo/

In another part of the warehouse, a lone figure sat tied to a metallic chair, head hanging limply on his chest. It was Joey.

" I trust you've made yourself comfortable in there." A dark voice said. A tall hooded figure stepped into the room. " Rise and shine." He said. Joey looked up and scowled. " So what's the deal with all of this, you caped clown?" he demanded.

" You'll learn what we have planned for you, soon enough." The strange Rare Hunter said morosely. " For now, you are to keep quiet and do what you're told to do."

Joey smirked at him. " Or what? You Rare Hunters think you're so tough, don't ya? Runnin' around in your dark hoods! Why don't you untie me from this chair and I'll show you what being a tough guy is all about, you tattoo-faced freak of nature! So what's it gonna be? Let me go now, and I'll go easy on ya."

The Rare Hunter raised his hand toward Joey.

" Hey! Keep your grimy paws away from me, would ya? If you touch me, you'll be sorry!" he yelled, struggling against the ropes, unaware of a second, more sinister presence in the room behind him. The second figure raised a strange staff in his hand. It began to glow and Joey froze.

_With Joey Wheeler as my mind-slave, little Yugi's Egyptian God Card is as good as mine! _

/ooo/

Back with Mokuba, Tea and Sophie in the warehouse, escape is in order. For Mokuba at least. They'd managed to coax Sophie back into reality and Mokuba was planning to help her escape as well. The sooner she could get back to her sister, the better. The same went with finding his brother.

They stood on top of a large pile of boxes against the window.

" Here, Mokuba. This is the last one." Tea said. He took it and stacked it on the others. " Thanks, Tea. I think I can reach, now. Come on, Sophie." He called, offering her his hand. She stood a box below him. She hesitantly took it and he pulled her up.

Tea froze as she heard laughter outside the door. " Hurry up! Someone's coming!" she urged.

" Now's our chance!" Mokuba said. He climbed on top of the last box. Sophie shuddered and clung to his arm. " I-I'm afraid of h-heights, Mokuba." She whimpered.

" Sorry, Sophie, but it's the only way we're gonna get out of here." Mokuba said encouragingly. He turned back to Tea. " Come on, let's go!" he said.

" I'll stay. You two go find your brother, Yugi and Sonja."

She gasped as the door opened and two of the Rare Hunters dashed in.

" They're escaping!" One of them yelled.

" Go!" Tea cried. Mokuba grabbed Sophie and heaved them both onto the windowsill. Sophie's attitude suddenly changed and she forced the window open.

Tea screamed as the pile shook and wobbled. The Rare Hunters were climbing up after them. The pile collapsed beneath them and Tea and the two Rare Hunters were sent tumbling toward the ground. Mokuba and Sophie barely managed to keep a hold on the window.

" Tea! Oh no. Are you all right, down there?" he called worriedly. Tea moved a little and sat up. " Don't worry about me, just get some help!" she cried. Mokuba nodded. He and Sophie quickly climbed out the window onto the roof.

He disappeared.

" He got away!" one Rare Hunter said angrily.

" Go and get the kids!" another one yelled to his comrades outside the door as they grabbed Tea.

" It's all up to Mokuba and Sophie, now." Tea said.

Meanwhile, several Rare Hunters scurried about outside, searching for them.

" They've got to be around here, somewhere." One snapped.

" Lets' split up and search the entire pier." Another suggested. They did so and headed in different directions.

Mokuba and Sophie had found shelter inside an empty crate and Mokuba kept a sharp eye out for them while Sophie listened for footsteps on the other side.

He nudged her as they moved away, pointing. She nodded and they were off.

/ooo/

" Okay, Umbra," Lumis said. " Let's teach these fools a lesson, shall we?"

Umbra drew a card. " All right! I'm gonna play Rogue Doll!"

Sonja raised an eyebrow at this. " Why that?" she murmured. " Rogue Doll only has sixteen hundred attack points. Seto can wipe it out easily."

Kaiba smirked. " Don't you think you're a little too old to be playing with dollies, Rare Hunter? Especially ones that have such low attack points."

_That's weird._ Yugi thought. _Why would they play such a weak monster? They must be up to something. _

Lumis resisted the urge to laugh in triumph. _Heh, heh, say goodbye to your Blue-Eyes, Kaiba. _

" All right, Rogue Doll, attack his Blue-Eyes White Dragon now!" Umbra yelled.

_This should be amusing. _Kaiba thought.

Still in the shadow sphere, Sonja gasped suddenly.

_ Oh no. I know what they're gonna do! It's the same thing that happened to me so long ago! Seto!!_

" It's time to activate the card I have facedown!" Lumis cried. " Mask of Weakness!"

" No!" Sonja exuded all of her energy to scream.

" What is that?" Kaiba exclaimed as Lumis's Trap card aimed for his dragon. " What's your mask doing to my Blue-Eyes?"

The mask fixed itself on the dragon as Kaiba could only watch and Sonja could only hope he knew what to do.

" Don't you know?" Lumis taunted. " Well, as its name suggests, my Mask of Weakness is weakening your Blue-Eyes! And then, I'll play Mask of Brutality, which gives Rogue Doll one thousand extra attack points, making it stronger than your Blue-Eyes! It's all over, Kaiba!"

" Thanks to our magic card, your Blue-Eyes pales in comparison to my monster!" Umbra declared. " Rogue Doll, attack!"

" Not so fast, Umbra. There's two of us, remember? So, I'll activate this trap! Mystical Wrap Panel! Looks like you forgot you're dueling against a team, and that trap just saved my teammate's Blue-Eyes!"

As he spoke, the mask on the Rogue Doll suddenly vanished.

" Hey! What happened to my monster's mask?" Umbra yelled.

" My trap takes the power of your magic card and transfers it to Kaiba's dragon." Yugi explained. " It raises its attack points by one thousand, making it stronger than your Rogue Doll!"

Kaiba leapt at the chance. " Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack!"

But as the dragon's attack obliterated the Rogue Doll, Kaiba scowled. _Yugi helped me, again! My Blue-Eyes would have been destroyed! There's nothing I hate more than depending on someone else for my victory. But it looks like I may need to use Yugi to defeat these two in order to save Sonja and my little brother. In the end, my superior deck and dueling skills will be the reason we prevail. _

The Rogue Doll disappeared from the field.

" All right, Rare Hunters," Yugi said. " Your monster has been destroyed."

" Lumis!" Umbra exclaimed. " Look what you've just done!" he yelled as his Lifepoints went down.

" What do you mean, 'what I've done'?"

" Because of you, I'm down to two-thousand Lifepoints! So that's what I mean!" Umbra countered.

" Oh yeah? You're blaming me for that? As I recall, Rogue Doll was your monster!"

Yugi just watched seriously. _Looks like Lumis and Umbra are losing their team spirit. In the end, that could cause them to lose the whole duel. That's what I keep trying to tell Kaiba. When you're fighting a double-duel, the most important thing you can count on is teamwork. _

" This duel is far from over!" Umbra yelled. " Your Blue-Eyes may have defeated my monster this time, but I have a card in my hand that can annihilate it for good!"

_If Lumis foils my plans again, Kaiba's dragon will destroy me. So from now on, I won't depend on anyone but myself. _

He drew a card and looked up. " I place one card facedown and end my turn." He declared.

/ooo/

At the train station in the next town, Tristan hurried a teenage girl along the sidewalk toward a boarding train. " Sorry, Serenity, I thought it was leaving later!" he said as they scrambled onto the train. The doors closed seconds later.

" Whew. Just made it." Tristan said.

" Tristan," Serenity said quietly. He looked at her. " Huh?"

" Oh, never mind." She said.

" No, what is it?"

" It's just…I'm still a little nervous about taking my bandages off." She said. Tristan smiled. " Hey, you'll do fine. Trust me." He said. " When you get to Battle City, you'll get to see your brother in action." He told her.

" That's what I'm hoping for." She replied.

/ooo/

" This duel is over!" Kaiba exclaimed. " Let's go."

_Now I am once again in total control! _

" Behold my Blue-Eyes in all its fury! Prepare to lose this duel, Umbra! Blue-Eyes! Direct attack, now!" he ordered. Yugi looked over, a strange feeling of nervousness taking over.

" Say goodbye to the rest of your Lifepoints, Umbra!" Kaiba said.

_Kaiba's making a hasty move! _Yugi thought anxiously. _And a selfish one, too. He's so caught up in winning this duel on his own, he didn't even think of Umbra's facedown card. He could be falling right into a trap! _

Umbra grinned. " I thought you'd try that! So I'll activate this! Mask of Impregnability! It protects me from direct attacks for one turn! Oh well, nice try, Kaiba." He said as the attack hit the mask, missing Umbra's Lifepoints.

" Looks like your Blue-Eye's barrage failed! That was quite a predictable move, Kaiba, and one which I was well-prepared to deflect!"

" Yes, but what about your friend, Lumis?" Kaiba said. Lumis made a choking sound of surprise. " Did you ever think of what would have happened if I'd attacked Lumis instead of you, Umbra? Would he have protected you, with his magic card, Lumis? Or would he have let you lose?"

Kaiba smirked at him. " That's the danger of relying on someone else to protect you, when the reality is there's only one person you can trust; yourself. And if anyone tells you otherwise, they're lying."

Lumis turned and glared at Umbra.

" What?" Umbra cried. " Don't listen to him! Of course I would have used my magic card to protect you! Although I'm sure you wouldn't do the same thing for me, Lumis."

Yugi grinned wryly. _Now I get what Kaiba's trying to do. He noticed that Lumis and Umbra were beginning to doubt one another's abilities. So he's taking advantage of that, and trying to destroy their team trust. _

Lumis continued to glare at his 'partner'. _Maybe Kaiba's right. Umbra seems to be in this for himself. He probably wants to take all the credit for winning their Egyptian God Cards! Master Marik did always like him better. So I'll destroy these two without his help! _

He faced his opponents again. " This duel is over!" he yelled.

From the shadow sphere, Sonja tried to follow the conversation, but she found she was still growing weaker. It seemed to her that the sphere only zapped a large amount of energy when Kaiba lost Lifepoints. But even then, it still drained her. She would have tried to tell him this, but the problem was, she couldn't even lift her head now, let alone speak.

" _Seto…Hurry._" She whispered. Kaiba turned at the sound of her faint voice, though he was unsure of what she'd said. His eyes went slightly wider.

" Yugi! What's happening to her?" he exclaimed.

Yugi turned around. His face darkened. " Those lying crooks." He growled in anger. " That shadow sphere is sapping her energy whether you lose Lifepoints or not, Kaiba! She was much stronger than this only five minutes ago!"

" What?"

" Kaiba, we have to end this duel soon. Otherwise, we'll lose Sonja no matter what the outcome." He said. As much as Kaiba hated agreeing with Yugi, he frowned and nodded. His gaze returned to Sonja, lying on the concrete roof of the building as though dead."

_She's depending on me. If I don't put an end to this nonsense, I'll lose her. Argh, what on earth is happening to me?_

He whirled around.

_This ends now. _

/ooo/

" Yo, check it out! We're almost there!" Tristan exclaimed.

" Thanks for going through all of this trouble to bring me to Battle City." Serenity said.

" Hey, don't mention it." Tristan said. " There's nothing I'd rather be doing."

Serenity smiled. " Wow. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have such a great friend like you." She said.

_Did she say friend?? _Tristan thought. _Oh man!! I'm stuck in the friend zone!!_

/ooo/

Meanwhile, Tea sat strapped into a chair to prevent any further escape attempts. The door opened and a familiar figure entered the room. She brightened up. " Joey! It's you! Come on, you have to help me out of this so we can escape this rat-hole! Hello? Earth to Joey, anybody home in there?' she said, confused by his lack of enthusiasm at seeing her again. He continued to stand as though he didn't even see her. " Joey? You okay?" she said, a little worried now. " Joke's over! Come on, Joey, you're freaking me out, here!"

He looked up suddenly, his eyes strangely blank. "_ I am not Joey, you fool!_" he said in a weird, warped voice.

" That's not funny!" Tea said. Then she noticed the robed figure standing behind Joey. " Ah! What did you do to him?" she exclaimed.

/ooo/

" Now I'll draw!" Lumis declared. " The magic card, Pot of Greed! Thanks to this card, I can now draw two more cards from my hand, Kaiba." He said. _Hm. My hand doesn't look very promising right now. With no monsters on the field and an impending Blue-Eyes attack, I cannot afford to have weak cards. _

" I'll place one card facedown. And then, I'll activate Card Exchange! Playing this card allows me to exchange my entire hand with that of any other duelist on the field. And I choose you, Umbra!"

" Huh?"

" If you're not going to use your cards to help me, then I'll simply take them!" Lumis explained.

" How dare you?" Umbra questioned angrily.

" All right, Umbra, according to the rules, we swap our hands, so give me all of your cards, now." Lumis said.

" Here." Umbra growled, giving Lumis his hand.

" And now," Lumis said. " I will activate my facedown card, Chosen One! If this card works, you two are finished! I'll explain. First, I'll place three cards facedown on the field. And in the center of these cards goes the Chooser. The Chooser will select a card at random. If it chooses one of my magic cards, all three cards will go to the graveyard."

" Those are my cards you're risking!" Umbra complained.

" I'm afraid they're not your cards anymore, Umbra!" Lumis replied.

" If this doesn't work, you'll be sorry, Lumis." Umbra growled.

" Now, Chooser, make your selection! I forgot to mention that if the Chooser selects my third card, I get to summon an all-powerful monster to the field, without making a sacrifice, first! And you will both be finished!"

The Chooser began to spin in a rapid circle on the field. Lumis watched it with glee. _If this works, I'll be unstoppable! I'll destroy those two on my own and Master Marik will reward me! _

" It's starting to slow down!" he exclaimed. " It's choosing a card!"

The Chooser chose a card on the right.

" That's it!!" Lumis yelled. " It's chosen my ultimate monster! Now! The end is near! I summon The Masked Beast-Desgardious! It's unstoppable!"

" It's more powerful than my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba exclaimed.

" Very perceptive, Kaiba. My mighty Desgardious could destroy your pathetic dragon with one swipe of its mighty claw!"

" You're lucky that risk was successful." Umbra called.

" Yes, and now that Desgardious has been unleashed, there's no stopping it! My masked creature is so powerful, you two pitiful duelists don't stand a chance against it! And once it is through with you, your Blue-Eyes will be in the graveyard and both of your Egyptian God Cards will belong to Master Marik!"

Yugi glanced at his cards. _Oh no. We've got to defeat their monster, otherwise I may never see my friends again. But how can we take down something that powerful? _

" And now," Lumis said. " The question is, which one of you fools should I attack first? Decisions, decisions. I could attack you, Yugi. With your useless Magnet Warriors protecting you, I could wipe out the rest of your Lifepoints. Then again, there's you, Kaiba. I could attack your Blue-Eyes and rid the field of that menace for good, as well as cut some of your Lifepoints. Remember, there's a double effect to that, and the more amusing part is starting to take its toll, over there." He cackled.

" It doesn't matter who you attack, next." Umbra pointed out. " It's only a matter of time before both of their Lifepoints reach zero, and they're sent plummeting into the Shadow Realm forever!"

" Exactly!" Lumis yelled. " So forget about rescuing your friends. They belong to Marik, now!"

A/N: Just one more chapter of the two Ghouls. Okay, updates will be a little slower. I have to board a plane in a few days and I've got to mentally prepare myself for jet lag and a recently acquired motion sickness problem. Or maybe it's nerves. Anywho, please be patient with me. I'm doing all I can. Thanks.


	16. Victory at Last

A/N: Yet another chapter from my still-recovering story

A/N: Yet another chapter from my still-recovering story. I'm trying to rewrite the rest of it with a little more patience. But I may take awhile. Lets' hope I can get it done soon, huh.

Victory at Last

" One of you fools is about to feel the wrath of my creature, Desgardious. But which one?" Lumis chuckled. " If I attack you, Yugi, my beast will wipe out the rest of your Lifepoints. And if I choose you, Kaiba, not only will your Blue-Eyes make a fine repast for my Desgardious, but that girl will lose even more of her soul than ever. I suppose I forgot to mention that the sphere never stops working?" he cackled cruelly.

" And don't forget what happens when your Lifepoints reach zero!" Umbra yelled. " Your shadow box will destroy the surface beneath you, and send you plunging into the Shadow Realm for all eternity!"

" And your friends will join our army of Rare Hunters and serve Master Marik." Lumis added. " Now the time has come to decide which of you pathetic nitwits to attack with Desgardious. Who will it be? Do you give up? I choose you, Yugi Moto!"

" Wait! We're supposed to be a team, Lumis! That means we both get a say in this decision." Umbra said. " While I agree, we need to destroy Yugi, leaving Kaiba's Blue-Eyes on the field would be a very foolish mistake."

" It's my move, and I choose Yugi!" Lumis yelled.

" I knew it." Kaiba said. Yugi looked over at him. " I was wondering whether you'd have the guts to challenge my Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and now I know."

" Know what?" Lumis demanded.

" That you're all talk and no action. Only a coward would take the easy way out, instead of flexing his muscles and attacking my monster."

Yugi stared in disbelief. _Kaiba must be trying to save me. He knows he needs my help to win this duel. _

Lumis reconsidered his options. _Maybe Kaiba's right, and attacking Yugi would be a mistake. I can destroy them anytime. Why waste my creature's first attack? _

" All right, there's been a change in plans!" Lumis called. " Desgardious, destroy Kaiba's Blue-Eyes!"

Sonja closed her eyes, unable to watch. _Seto, no!_

The masked creature struck the Blue-Eyes. A great flash of light erupted from the battle and Lumis cackled in triumph. " Guess you were wrong, Kaiba! No one calls me a coward and gets away with it!"

Kaiba simply glowered. _Yugi had better not make me regret saving him. _

" Destroy them, Yugi!" he yelled.

" Yes." Yugi replied.

" You'll never!" Lumis said. " Thanks to Mask of The Accursed and Mask of Despell, you lose another one thousand Lifepoints."

Yugi drew a card. " Fine, this duel is almost over, anyway." He said. " You will regret not attacking me, when I play the card in my hand and destroy you!"

" What? It can't be!" Lumis cried.

" Attacking Blue-Eyes was a big mistake." Kaiba said. " 'Cause now Yugi has something even worse in store for you."

" It's a lie!" said Lumis.

" You can't summon high-power monsters because of our trap card!" said Umbra.

" Your trap only prevents us from sacrificing." Yugi said. " But that's not the only way to summon powerful monsters, Umbra." He placed a card on the field. " So I play this, Gamma, the Magnet Warrior! And now that I have three Magnet Warriors on the field at the same time, I can activate their special ability! Monster Transform!"

" Monster Transform? What?" Lumis and Umbra exclaimed at the same time.

" Yes." Said Yugi. " All three creatures will transform into one, mighty warrior with triple the attack strength!"

The three monsters disassembled themselves and began to form a new creature.

" Ugh! What is that?" Lumis yelled.

" Behold, Valcirion, The Magna Warrior!" Yugi proclaimed.

" Consider this attack payback for destroying my Blue-Eyes, Lumis." Kaiba said.

" Fine, Kaiba." Lumis growled.

" Yugi's Valcirion has two hundred more attack points than your monster, so with one swing of its sword, it can completely annihilate your masked beast! Tough break, Lumis." Kaiba said. He turned to Yugi. " Yugi, it's time to take our revenge for my Blue-Eyes White Dragon, so what are you waiting for?" he demanded. " I've been patient enough, so quit stalling and attack them! Prove you're not scared and avenge the destruction of my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Yugi faced the Rare Hunters again. _It's true that in a head-to-head battle, my warrior could easily defeat their Desgardious. And they don't seem to have any hidden trap cards on the field, but Lumis and Umbra don't seem nervous at all. _

" Do it, Yugi, destroy their monster, now!" Kaiba yelled.

" Go ahead, Yugi, make your move." Lumis said. Yugi's eyes narrowed.

_Could their monster Desgardious have a hidden ability that might block my attack?_

Lumis grinned. _As soon as that fool attacks my monster, he'll be in for a surprise. And a one way ticket to the Shadow Realm!_

" Make your move, Yugi!" Umbra yelled.

" What are you waiting for?" Kaiba exclaimed. " I gave up my Blue-Eyes for you, and this is the thanks I get? I allowed you to summon a more powerful monster, now attack them so I can move one step closer to finding my little brother! Do it right now, or you'll be sorry." Kaiba growled at him. Yugi instead, removed a card from his hand. " I'll place one card facedown."

He then looked toward Kaiba. " Kaiba, if you ever want to free Sonja and see Mokuba again, we have to duel intelligently. Anger will only cloud your reason."

" You're wrong!" Kaiba backfired.

" You must try to put your frustration aside and trust in The Heart of The Cards." Yugi said. " Unless you do, you'll be playing right into the hands of the Rare Hunters."

" That's nonsense! We have to crush them, now!" Kaiba exclaimed angrily.

" You're losing focus, Kaiba. If you want to win, you must believe in your deck."

Kaiba fell silent. _Heart of The Cards. Who needs it? The only way to win this duel, is to play my Egyptian God Card, Obelisk The Tormentor. But in order to summon it, I need to sacrifice three monsters. And as long as their Mask of Restrict is in play, we're not allowed to sacrifice anything. _

Suddenly, his eyes widened and fell to one card in his hand, Soul Exchange. _That's it! It's right in front of me! A way to summon my Egyptian God Card even with their mask on the field! But it can only work if Yugi's willing to give up his monster. I gave up my Blue-Eyes White Dragon to help him. So it's only fair that he makes a sacrifice. I don't like depending on anyone but myself, but I'll do what I have to do…to save Sonja and my brother. _

" Yugi, we can win." He said.

" Right." Yugi replied. " Valcirion, The Magna Warrior, attack their monster, now!"

" He took my bait!" Lumis said as the attack approached. " And now, he'll regret it."

The masked beast was destroyed.

" It's gone." Yugi said.

" You may have destroyed my beast, Yugi." Lumis called. " But you've also activated its special ability!"

" What special ability?" Kaiba inquired.

" When Desgardious is sent to the graveyard, it leaves behind three masks, which combine to form a new, more powerful mask. The Mask of Remnant! As revenge for your attack, this allows me to control one of your monsters as if it were my own. And since you only have one monster, it's a good thing it's one-size fits all."

The mask fixed itself upon the Magna Warrior and it instantly transferred to Lumis's side of the field. " Heheh, Valcirion the Magna Warrior belongs to me, now!" Lumis declared. " And you're in trouble."

" Excellent work." Umbra said.

" Thank you." Lumis answered. " You're through, Yugi! Your defenses are gone and the Shadow Realm awaits! You destroy Yugi on this turn, Umbra, and I'll take out Kaiba, myself."

" With pleasure." Umbra replied.

" I'll make sure Kaiba never frees that pathetic florist or ever sees his runt of a brother again!" Lumis yelled. " When I send him to join Yugi in the Shadow Realm!"

" Let's do it." Umbra said. He drew a card. " Perfect. Farewell, Yugi!" he said, placing the card on the field. " I activate Masquerade. With this in play, I'm able to control one of Lumis's monsters as if it were my monster! So my Magna Warrior, attack and destroy your former master, Yugi!"

Kaiba grimaced.

" Good-bye." Both Rare Hunters said.

Yugi smirked. " Don't celebrate just yet." He said.

" What?" Lumis exclaimed.

" Reveal my facedown card, De-Fusion!" Yugi declared. " It will break down your monster into its three separate parts and destroy your mask!"

" Oh no!" Lumis yelled.

" Our attack just failed!" Umbra cried.

" Are you shocked? I'm afraid you're no match for our combined skills, Rare Hunters." Yugi said.

" It's my turn." Kaiba said. " Behold my Egyptian God Card."

" Not quite!" Lumis said. " As long as my Mask of Restrict is in play, you can't summon it. You would have to sacrifice three monsters in order to summon it and my mask prevents that."

" Wrong." Kaiba said. " Your mask only stops me from sacrificing my own monsters. But I plan to sacrifice your monsters instead, Lumis. With this card. Now I activate the magic card, Soul Exchange, which lets me sacrifice your three Magnet Warriors."

" Don't let them get away with this!" Umbra cried. " Do something, Lumis!"

" We're finished! If Kaiba summons Obelisk The Tormentor, we'll have no hope of winning this duel! We have to stop him!" Lumis yelled. " Or Marik will be furious!"

But it was far too late. The three warriors disappeared and a whirlwind kicked up on the field. Sonja found enough energy to sit up a little, watching anxiously. _Please. _

Kaiba smirked at them. " I warned you two clowns." He said. The Egyptian God Card began to appear as lightning crackled from the whirlwind.

" This is for my little brother!" Kaiba announced. " You've been talking about winning my Egyptian God Card this entire duel! Now it's time for you to experience its power!" Kaiba yelled. " Obelisk The Tormentor! Arise and wreak your ultimate revenge!"

The Egyptian God arrived, nearly too enormous to stand on the field. Sonja just watched in awe, still bewildered by the creature Kaiba wielded. Strangely enough, she harbored no ill feelings toward it, or its master for landing her in surgery.

" This is payback for kidnapping Mokuba and putting Sonja in danger!" Kaiba said darkly. " So prepare to feel a force like no other! And now, it's time. Obelisk, attack Umbra's Lifepoints directly!" He closed his eyes a moment. _This one is for Sonja. This time, I'm using this monster to get her out of this mess. _

Umbra yelled as Obelisk's mighty fist slammed into him, obscuring him from view.

" Umbra!" Lumis cried. " No!"

The light faded and Umbra fell to the ground.

" Umbra, are you all right?" Lumis inquired anxiously.

" He's fine, for now. But thanks to my Egyptian God Card, his Lifepoints don't look so good." Kaiba said wryly. " It seems like you've fallen victim to your own trap, Rare Hunters. Umbra gasped and looked back at his shadow box. " No! When my Lifepoint counter reaches zero, I'll plunge into the Shadow Realm!" he cried fearfully.

The number hit zero.

The glass beneath him shattered and he fell down, through the shaft toward his fate.

" Umbra!" Lumis cried.

As he fell, Umbra tugged at the chain on his robe. A parachute erupted from his clothing and caught on a flagpole jutting out from the framework. He sighed and blacked out, spared for the moment.

" Umbra! Come back, please!" Lumis called to him in vain. " You can't leave me here!"

Yugi hummed. " Too late for that." Yugi said. " It looks like you're dueling alone, doesn't it? The odds are certainly against you, Lumis." He said as Lumis got to his feet, glaring at him.

" And you're powerless against our Egyptian God Card. If you want to avoid any further danger, then you'd better surrender."

Lumis fell to his knees on the platform.

" Don't let him off the hook, yet." Kaiba said. " My monster is just getting warmed up. And Lumis needs to pay for what he's done. He disrespected my family."

" Stop, Kaiba. Revenge isn't going to help you find Mokuba. Perhaps if we allow him to surrender, he'll tell us where they're hiding the prisoners."

" Yugi, wise up. We must destroy him, right now." Kaiba said.

Suddenly, Lumis screamed and clutched his head. " No master! Please don't be angry! We tried our best!" he yelled desperately.

" What now?" Kaiba muttered.

" Master! Please don't! No! Marik, I'm sorry!" Lumis cried. Yugi gasped. Lumis's head abruptly dropped and he started cackling, getting to his feet.

" _I see that you have defeated my Rare Hunters. That's all right. They did their job._" He said in a strange voice.

" What have you done with my friends, Marik?" Yugi yelled angrily. Lumis only chuckled.

" This Rare Hunter's gone mad!" Kaiba exclaimed.

" No. This Rare Hunter is under the control of a man named Marik." Yugi said.

" That is ridiculous, Yugi." Kaiba snapped.

" Marik's power is very real." Yugi said. " And he's the one holding Mokuba and Sophie captive."

" Well tell me where this so-called Marik is hiding!" Kaiba demanded.

Lumis started to chuckle again. " _Wouldn't you like to know, Kaiba. Well, I'll give you a hint; I'm closer than you think I am. I hope you enjoyed this special duel I set up for you. But don't think that just because you beat my Rare Hunters that you'll be rescuing your friends and family anytime soon. You see, I've been preparing for the first phase of my plan, and I have been studying each of your decks through the eyes of my Rare Hunters. As for your Egyptian God Card, Kaiba, Obelisk pales in comparison to my Winged Dragon of Ra, card. I'm afraid there's no way it can stop me. And once I defeat you, Obelisk will be in my deck. And I haven't forgotten you, Yugi. Your Egyptian God Card and Millennium Puzzle will be mine as well. And since my Rare Hunters failed, I've come up with the perfect plan to defeat you once and for all. By preying upon your greatest weakness; your loyalty to your pathetic friends. Don't worry, they're safe and sound right here with me. But I don't think they're on your side, anymore. It seems their allegiance lies with me. A bit funny how our friends are so quick to turn._"

" I'm the one you want, Marik, so leave my friends alone!" Yugi yelled.

" _Too late! I'm afraid those fools belong to me, now, Yugi!_"

" You're a coward!" Yugi growled. " Why don't you face me already, instead of hiding behind your mind slaves!?"

_But controlling peoples' minds is so much more fun, and thanks to my Millennium Rod, Yugi's closest friends are already my mind slaves, and once I turn them against him, Yugi will surrender everything he has to me. _

" Leave my friends alone, Marik! And tell me where they are!" Yugi demanded.

" Look, I don't know who you are, but you'd better tell me where Mokuba is! I won this battle, so release Mokuba and Sonja like you said you would, right now!" he yelled, grabbing Lumis by the collar of his robe.

" _You trust me? What a fool!_"

" Let them go!" Kaiba demanded, applying pressure to Lumis's throat.

" Stop, Kaiba, you're wasting your efforts. He obviously has no intention of telling us where he has the others captive.

" _Very perceptive!" _Marik/Lumis cackled. Kaiba dropped him and the strange Rare Hunter burst into cruel laughter. Then, he collapsed.

" He's gone." Yugi said gravely. " It looks like we'll have to track them down on our own, Kaiba. Maybe your satellite system can help."

" Look, Yugi, first things first. I think this Rare Hunter owes us something." Kaiba said. He bent down and took something from Lumis's pocket. He stood up, holding two locator cards. " This was an official Battle City Duel, which means the losers have to give up two locators cards to the winners." He said. " There's one for each of us. That means we both have six. We're each guaranteed a spot in the Battle City Finals now." He said. Yugi took the card.

" Kaiba, how can you begin to think of about the tournament after what Marik just said? We have to find my friends and your brother right now."

" I'm well aware of that, Yugi." Kaiba said.

" Then help me think of a plan. Every second counts." Yugi said. Kaiba hummed and continued forward.

That's when he remembered Sonja. He quickly glanced over at where she was. The shadow sphere still surrounded her and she lay as though dead, her energy still draining. Kaiba hurried over and knelt down. He cautiously reached toward the shadow sphere, ignoring Yugi as he came over. Kaiba placed his hand on the strange purple sphere and quickly pulled it back.

" What the—?" he exclaimed. " It felt like a jolt. My hand's numb."

" I had a feeling Marik would do this." Yugi said. " It'll be difficult, but it's possible to get her out. Obviously, it doesn't restrict one from reaching the victim."

Kaiba glared at him. " What are you babbling about?"

" Marik didn't remove the sphere when we won the duel, Kaiba. You'll have to be very swift if you wish to save her." Yugi said. " Unless you'd rather have me try to get her out."

" You're saying one of us has to pass through that thing to get to her?" Kaiba snapped. Yugi nodded. " Yes, but it drains any life force very quickly. It's designed to be a chain trap for those of weak will."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. " Well, then. I'm safe." He grumbled. He turned to Sonja again. _I made a promise and I don't intend to break it, now. _

With that, he lunged forward into the sphere, instantly feeling the sickening effects as energy was literally drained from his body. He stopped himself from collapsing, grabbed Sonja around the waist and leapt out again, setting her down on the concrete roof all in one swift motion. He then paused, gasping for air, stunned at the force of the sphere.

As soon as its victim left it, the sphere crackled weakly and disappeared into thin air.

" Are you all right?" Yugi said anxiously. Kaiba recomposed himself promptly. " I'm fine." He grumbled. He turned to Sonja.

" Sonja, wake up." He said, shaking her gently. Her eyes remained half-open, blank and glazed. She moaned faintly.

" Sonja!" Kaiba said again. " The duel's over!"

Sonja shifted to her side and attempted to raise herself up. She braced herself on her elbows and sighed heavily. " I feel horrible." She whispered. " I hope I don't have to go…to the hospital again."

Kaiba quickly closed his eyes in relief. _I'm glad that's over with. _

He looked at her sternly. " Sonja, didn't I tell you to stay away from here?" he growled. Sonja gritted her teeth together. " I wasn't…expecting you to…be here." She gasped. " The note…told me to…come here…so I could save Sophie."

She tried to stand up shakily, but fell back down on her knees.

" Be careful." Yugi warned. " You've been through a lot, today."

" I know." She said. " But I have to…find Sophie."

She tried to stand up again. This time she succeeded and started toward the elevator landing. Kaiba lashed out and grabbed her arm. " Listen to me!" he barked. " You're not going anywhere! I'm taking you back to your shop and you're _staying_ there! Hear me?"

She yanked away and stepped back clumsily. " You can't tell me what to do. Heck, you could care less about me!" she yelled. But as she turned again, she fell back down from weakness.

" Sonja—" Kaiba grumbled in irritation, but before he could finish his sentence, a strong wind tore across the top of the building and he looked up. A white helicopter was rising into view several feet away.

" Isn't that one of your helicopters, Kaiba?" Yugi called over the noise. Sonja managed to get to her feet again and stared silently.

Suddenly, to the surprise of them all, Mokuba appeared in the doorway of the chopper.

" It's me, Seto!" he called.

" It's Mokuba! He escaped!" Kaiba exclaimed. Sonja sighed to herself. So Mokuba was all right, but where was Sophie?

Mokuba leapt out as the copter landed. Kaiba, Yugi and Sonja hurried forward.

" Tell me, are you all right?" Kaiba inquired.

" Yeah, but I had to leave Tea behind." Mokuba said regretfully.

" Is Tea all right?" Yugi asked. " And what about Joey, and Tristan?"

" Well, I'm not so sure about Joey or Tristan, but up until she helped me escape from the Rare Hunters, Tea was doing all right."

Yugi's eyes widened.

Mokuba looked around at them and noticed Sonja. " Hey!" he said. " Why are you here, too?"

Sonja was struggling to hide the effects of her recent ordeal. " Um…Sophie was captured as well. Mokuba, please, was she there?" Sonja asked anxiously. Mokuba smiled suddenly. " Better than that, Sonja." He turned to the helicopter.

" Hey!! Sophie!! Come out here!!" he yelled. A small turquoise head appeared and Sophie stood up, hanging onto the inside of the door. She looked lost and petrified, but as soon as she found Sonja, her eyes completely lit up.

" Sis!!" she shrieked. She clumsily jumped down and rushed over. " Sonja! You're okay!"

Sonja looked at her sister strangely. " What do you mean, 'I'm okay'? You're the one I've been worried sick about for the past hour." She said.

" When they took me I heard you fighting with another one before Tristan showed up. I heard a huge fuss and got worried."

Sonja smiled. " I'm fine, Sophie. I'm just glad you and Mokuba are safe." She said.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he turned to them. " Get in the chopper now, all of you. Sounds like your friend Tea saved Mokuba's and Sophie's lives, and as much as I hate getting involved, I hate owing someone a favor even more." He said. Sonja rolled her eyes.

Right back to normal.

" Thank you." Yugi said.

As Yugi, Sophie and Mokuba all got in, Kaiba hung back a second and turned to Sonja. He gave her a stern look. " Sonja, if you ever pull anything like this again, you'll severely regret it."

Sonja scowled. " I'll get a restraining order. You're starting to scare me." She snapped.

" That doesn't matter! You're still injured; you shouldn't be here!" he yelled.

" I don't care! I want to get back at Marik for ordering his goons to take away my sister! I don't need help from anyone, especially you. Good day." She said. But as she was starting toward the craft, her right leg buckled suddenly, she yelped and toppled over. Kaiba sighed irritably and stared at her. " Are you positive about that?" he grumbled.

" Haha, you're a ton of laughs." She griped. She struggled to her feet again and continued forward. She looked back. " Stop laughing at me!"

Kaiba smirked. " Who, me? I never said a thing." He said. Sonja rolled her eyes again and climbed inside, taking a seat in the back by her sister. Kaiba followed and the door shut after him.

" Here we go." Mokuba declared. " Back to the hideout."

Sonja stared out the window pensively.

_Why was he so concerned all of a sudden?_ She wondered.

A/N: Okay, I'm debating on a huge idea for continuing the story. But I won't tell you what it is. Nope. Not a word. You'll have to read on for yourselves until you figure out what I have in mind.


	17. Sonja's Strange Behavior

A/N: I'm slowly getting caught up

A/N: I'm slowly getting caught up. Rewriting it isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I'd do a lot better if I could use my glasses though. Wouldn't you know my eyes would reject my own prescription. Ugh. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

Sonja's Strange Behavior

The train pulled in sometime later and the announcer on the PA alerted everyone to its arrival. As the door opened, Tristan jumped out and ran to the counter positioned beside the track. " I need something to go, quickly, please." He said. The lady turned. " It'll help if you tell me what you'd like." She said amusedly. Tristan scanned the different orders. " Uh, I don't know, just give me one of everything." He said.

" What?"

" Come on, less shacking and more packing, I gotta train to catch!" he said.

Back on board the train, Serenity waited for Tristan to return. She faced the window, though she still couldn't see it due to the thick bandages covering her eyes.

She gasped as the train started to move.

_" Stay clear of the closing doors. Next stop is the town of Domino." _The PA announced.

" Oh no, where's Tristan? I hope he didn't miss the train." Serenity said anxiously. But the sound of footsteps nearby and someone sitting down across from her calmed her instantly.

" Guess who's back!" Tristan said. " I hope you like food because I brought plenty. How about a cheeseburger and fries? Macaroni? Spaghetti? Sushi? What?" he asked. Serenity giggled.

Later, Tristan looked out the window as he finished his soda thoughtfully.

" Tristan?" Serenity said. " I'm still nervous about what'll happen once I take my bandages off. I know the doctor said I could take them off tonight, but I'm worried the operation didn't work."

" Nah, you're gonna be just fine, Serenity. You gotta have a little faith, that's all."

" I know, but I want to see so badly, Tristan and there's a part of me that's too frightened to face this alone. I know you probably think I'm being a scared little baby for this."

" No way. We all get scared sometimes. I think the things that freak us out the most usually turn out to be nothing in the end, Serenity."

" Yeah, and I'll probably feel better once we get to Battle City and find Joey. I'll need him to give me the courage and strength to face the unknown again, like he did when I first went to the hospital."

" And I'll tell you something, Serenity, I'll bet Joey needs you right now just as much as you need him." Tristan said.

" Huh?"

" You'll give him the courage he needs to win the finals." Tristan said in a dramatic fluctuation. Serenity smiled. " That's so perfect. We'll inspire each other and overcome our doubts. Thanks for listening to me, Tristan, I can't wait until we get to Battle City."

" No sweat, don't mention it." Tristan said.

/ooo/

The helicopter hovered above the city for a moment before lifting off into the air. Inside, Mokuba worked with a laptop on the duel disk signal while Sophie and Kaiba watched from either side, Sophie being careful to stay out of the way. Sonja had switched to sitting on the floor of the craft, dozing against the wall in an attempt to replenish her energy before they landed. Kaiba didn't know whether she was really asleep, but she wasn't complaining, so he left it alone.

" Is the tracking system working?" he asked Mokuba.

" It's working perfectly. I'm picking up a weak signal from Joey's duel disk. It's coming from the same spot where those Rare Hunters were keeping me, Tea and Sophie. We should be there in about fifteen minutes." He replied. Yugi glared at the computer and clenched his teeth together angrily. _Joey and Tea had better be okay. Hang in there guys. We're on our way to save you. _

A little while later, Sonja had given up trying to sleep and Sophie got her into a game of twenty questions, trivia style.

" Stunt Man 'Fractured' Freddy of silent movie fame—" Sophie began. Sonja sighed.

" –Had six toes on his left foot." She mumbled. The effects of the shadow sphere were still apparent. Sophie giggled.

" Okay, now name the great infield combo of the 1912 Toonerville Tigers." She said. Sonja gave her a strange look. " Sophie, I know all of this by heart. Kirby, Dilworth and Black." She said. Sophie rolled her eyes. " Man, how'd you remember all of this?" she asked. " Just one more?"

Sonja pulled her knees up, resting her head on them with her eyes half-open. " Shoot."

" What is Chevy Chase's real name?"

" Cornelius." Sonja answered monotone.

" Dang." Mokuba said. " Where'd you learn all that?"

Sonja looked up, her expression wry. " Would you believe, a book called 'A Treasure of Trivia'?" she said.

Mokuba grinned. " I had a hunch. None of those sounded familiar." He said. Sonja chuckled. " Our parents would quiz us all the time. I know the whole dumb thing by heart." She said.

" I only know half of it." Sophie said. " So between the two of us, we're one and a half brains of a single idiot!" she said, causing Mokuba to laugh.

" I'll buy that." Kaiba smirked.

" Humph." Sonja grumbled. " Watch it."

Mokuba watched the screen again. " The Rare Hunter's hideout!" he exclaimed, suddenly serious. " We're about eleven miles away. Exactly where those creeps are keeping Tea. And Joey should be nearby. We'll get 'em both outta there in no time." He said to Yugi. Kaiba's eyes narrowed dangerously. " I am concerned with more important issues." He mumbled. " Like finding the third Egyptian God Card."

" The third?" Sonja said. " You mean there are more than just Obelisk and whatever Yugi has? I knew from your duel a little bit ago that Yugi has something, too, now, but what's this third one?"

Kaiba didn't answer, so she sighed and closed her eyes, giving up for the moment. Yugi glanced over at Kaiba.

" Tell me, Yugi, who is this Marik?" Kaiba asked. " He leads the Rare Hunters, but what else do you know about him?"

Yugi looked out the window. " Well, I've never actually seen his face. But I know he possesses a Millennium Item, much like my own Millennium Puzzle." He said gravely.

" Those again? Spare me the bogus magic talk, Yugi." Kaiba grumbled.

" Kaiba, you have already experienced the great power of a Millennium Item first hand. Or have you forgotten about Pegasus and his Millennium Eye?"

" That was just a cheap trick." Kaiba grumbled. Sonja raised an eyebrow.

" What happened? Millennium Eye? What was that and who was Pegasus?" she asked. Mokuba looked over. " Pegasus was the one who created Duel Monsters. He kidnapped me and used his Millennium Eye to seal me in the Shadow Realm. He did the same thing to Seto when he tried to—"

" That's enough, Mokuba!" Kaiba snapped suddenly. " Just drop it. That means you too, Sonja."

Sonja blinked. _Whatever happened then had to have been better than what almost happened to me._ She thought glumly. _At least they escaped quickly. _

" Believe whatever you want, Kaiba, but I assure you, my puzzle is no trick." Yugi said. " And I'm not exactly who you think I am, Kaiba. I am actually a five thousand year-old spirit who lives within the chambers of the Millennium Puzzle."

Sonja half-smiled. " Well, that would explain the sudden growth spurts you get every single time you duel someone." She said.

" That's a lie!" Kaiba said. " You honestly expect me to believe that?"

" It's true, Kaiba. At one time, I lived in Egypt. It was there I ruled as Pharaoh."

" As Pharaoh?"

" No way!" Mokuba exclaimed.

" Cool!" Sophie cried. Mokuba looked at her. " Do you always get this excited when something weird happens?" he asked. Sonja snickered. " You should see her in history class." She said.

Kaiba seemed frozen. _That's what that woman told me. _

" But it can't be. Your pharaoh story's not true. There's just no way." He said, mostly to himself than to Yugi.

_That woman, Ishizu told me that same lie at the museum. _

A memory came to him of the night he was told that strange story, of the stone carvings with the inscriptions of an ancient duel waged by a pharaoh who looked just like Yugi against a sorcerer who looked just like _him_. It was just too weird to believe.

He chuckled dryly. " _You_, pharaoh? What a joke." He mumbled. " I spoke to that crazy woman, too, Yugi. But unlike you, I didn't buy into her story."

" Look," said Yugi. " What Ishizu said was true. I know it. I know who I must stop, and I'll never forget the day I first heard his name."

Yugi recalled how he'd defeated the first Rare Hunter with the many Exodia pieces. After the duel had been finished, Marik had taken control of the Rare Hunter and spoken through him, warning Yugi of events to come.

" So let me get this straight. Marik wants to rule the world?" Mokuba said. " He thinks getting all three Egyptian God Cards will give him the power he needs to do it? I guess that explains why he's going through all of this trouble just to get his hands on them."

" That's ridiculous, Mokuba." Kaiba said. " Yugi, do me a favor and stop corrupting my brother's mind with your lies."

" Don't automatically dismiss what you don't know for sure." Sonja piped up suddenly. Kaiba glanced over at her. " Sonja, don't tell me you believe this nonsense as well."

" I'm not saying I do, Seto." She said, wiping all expression from her face, giving her a slightly eerie look. " But I've long since learned that things aren't always what they seem. Just trust me on this one."

" What on earth are you talking about?" he demanded.

" I don't really want to go into details." Sonja said darkly.

" Amen." Sophie added, resulting in an irritated look from her sister. " I was only backing you up." She said. Sonja rolled her eyes.

" Sophie, don't call me, I'll call you." She muttered. Sophie crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. " Don' tall me, ah'll tall yu! NYA!!" she blew a raspberry at her and slumped down, folding her arms.

" Oh sure, real mature, Sophie." Sonja grumbled.

Kaiba looked back toward the front of the craft. " As I said, Yugi. There's no reason whatsoever for anyone, especially my brother to have to tolerate those lies of yours."

" They're not lies. And you've heard Marik's plan, firsthand." Yugi backfired.

" If Marik wants to control the world, what do Sophie, me and the others have to do with it?" Sonja asked. " If Tristan hadn't come along, I might have been taken along with Sophie."

" Tristan?" Yugi gasped.

" Yeah. I mentioned one of Marik's weirdoes attacked me and took Sophie an hour or so ago. Tristan came in and helped me out of that."

Yugi hummed in thought. " He's only using all of you as bait to lure us into his trap. My friends to get to me, and you, Sophie and Mokuba to get to Kaiba."

" Why would he care about what happens to me?" Sonja snapped. " I can take care of myself."

" Some thanks for getting you out of that mess you were in at the tower." Kaiba growled. Sonja turned away.

Yugi glanced at them. " I know you don't believe me, Kaiba when I say that Marik's power is very real. I don't know what he plans to do now, especially since he's captured my friends."

" We're only two miles from our target, guys." Mokuba announced suddenly. Sophie peered down at the screen. " Yeah, that place looks familiar." She said. " I sure hope Tea's okay."

" I'm tired of hearing about your friends, Yugi." Kaiba said to him irritably. "Especially that hack, Wheeler."

" Joey has become a very skilled duelist, Kaiba. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd already qualified for the Battle City Finals."

" That reminds me," Kaiba said. " Sonja, you registered for the tournament, yet your disk seems a bit dusty, now. Have you been dueling at all?" he asked suspiciously. Sonja seemed to shrink in on herself and Sophie sighed unhappily.

" No." Sonja mumbled. " I haven't. I already told you, I…I don't duel." She said with a stony glance to the window.

" Why not? I have been wondering that awhile." Yugi said.

" Come on, Sonja," Mokuba encouraged. " The entire time we've known you, you keep saying you don't duel, yet you obviously can. How come you stopped? What happened to you?"

" I don't want to talk about it." Sonja said.

" But—"

" Stop!!" Sophie yelled, surprising all of them, especially Sonja. Sophie glared at them all. " Stop it!! Sonja doesn't like dueling anymore!! There's no law saying you _have_ to duel!! And after what you did to her," she pointed at Kaiba. " I honestly can't blame her for not wanting to duel. You landed her in the hospital for Pete's sake! How can any of you even imagine she'd want to duel again after that, huh?"

Sonja stared wide-eyed at her sister, unable to believe that Sophie was able to see that clearly into the truth. However, it was half-right. It wasn't what Kaiba had done. She'd forgiven him for that because she knew she was able to. It was what had been done before that she couldn't forgive, and if she could forgive Kaiba for his deliberate attack on her with dangerous stakes, she knew that what else had happened was intolerable.

But for her little sister to know so well was just too much.

_No. I am a good duelist, but I just don't have any more confidence. I just need to fight more, that's all. _

Mokuba sighed and returned his gaze to the computer. " I didn't know you felt so strongly about it." He said to Sophie. " Sorry."

Sophie seemed to calm down. " I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have blown up like that. I just hate seeing Sonja in pain. I'll be quiet, now." She said. Mokuba's eyes suddenly went wide. " We're nearing the Rare Hunter's hideout! It's just ahead!"

" Begin our descent, immediately." Kaiba ordered. Yugi clutched the chain of his Millennium Puzzle. _All right, this is it. No matter what happens down there, I am not leaving without my friends. You won't get away with this, Marik. _

/ooo/

" Everything is in place. Kaiba and little Yugi will be arriving shortly with their foolish little plan of rescuing you. However," Marik paused. " with you as my mind slaves, they'll have no choice but to play by my rules. Their Egyptian God Cards and Yugi's Puzzle will be mind for the taking!" Marik said triumphantly as he made his way down the pier, followed by a very zombie-like Tea and Joey. " And soon, I'll rule the whole world. Isn't that right, my friends?" he said with a glance at his two captives. " You're so quiet, almost as if you don't have minds of your own." He said. _When little Yugi sees his best friends under my control, he'll have no choice but to obey me. _

A tall figure in a black hood and cape appeared behind Marik and knelt down. " Master Marik." He said. " Beg your pardon."

" What now?"

" As you have requested, sir, I've secured twelve locator cards for the Battle City finals." He said, holding up a dozen transparent cards.

" Excellent, Odeon. You've done well. Now we both qualify to participate in the Battle City finals. If we need to. Hopefully, that won't be required." He said with a chuckle. " In which case, you'll have wasted a great deal of time and effort. But hand them over, anyway. Entering the finals may be required if our current plan fails."

" It's a pleasure to serve you." Odeon said quietly, as was his nature.

" We should have a backup plan to ensure that I get what I want." Marik said. " But today's plan seems foolproof. Now hand my servant the deck we've prepared for him, Odeon."

" Yes, master." Odeon replied, getting to his feet. He handed 'Joey' the deck and he took it rather stiffly.

" When Yugi sees that he is forced to duel his best friend, he is sure to lose it all!" Marik cackled.

" Replacing his pathetic deck with an extremely rare assortment of magic and trap cards was an excellent idea, Master Marik." Odeon said approvingly.

" This is my most ingenious scheme yet." Marik said. " I took the things that mean the most to little Yugi. His friends."

" Brilliant, master."

" I know. Now, come and find me, little Yugi! For the last duel you'll ever fight!"

/ooo/

" As soon as we land, Mokuba will lead us to my friends. We'll break in—and get them out." Yugi said gravely.

" Look, Yugi." Kaiba said. " I brought you here and I'll be calling all the shots, today. And the first task on my agenda is to track down the third Egyptian God Card. After that, we'll find your friends."

" Kaiba, Joey and Tea are in great danger and we must rescue them, right away."

" Sorry, Yugi. But we both have different priorities here. So why don't we split up and fend for ourselves once we land?"

" How is that going to help?" Sonja interjected. " Only Sophie and Mokuba know where the hideout is, and I'm not going with you guys, so only Mokuba can help. Unless Sophie wants to stay behind."

" What are you talking about?" Kaiba demanded.

Sonja hesitated a moment. " I…uh…I remembered I got stuff to do. So, once we land, I'll be seeing you."

" Aww." Sophie whined, slumping over. " I wanted to help Joey and Tea."

" You can." Sonja said. " I'll just go alone. You stay with them, if you want." She said with a weak smile. Sophie, unfortunately, didn't notice it.

" What are you planning, Sonja?" Kaiba asked. She shrugged. " Nothing you'd find important. So leave my business to me!" she snapped.

" What's with you all of a sudden?" Sophie said. Sonja closed her eyes.

_How can I tell them that I'm planning to face my biggest fear, again?_

_" We're approaching our target, now, Mr. Kaiba." _The pilot said.

" Hey guys! I think I see someone on the pier." Mokuba said. " And it kinda looks like Joey."

" It is Joey!" Yugi exclaimed. " And he seems to be all alone."

But while it was indeed Joey, something didn't seem right.

" Kaiba, we may be headed into a trap." Yugi said.

" Yugi, please. I've heard enough out of you for one day."

" Seto, I think he's right." Sonja said seriously. " Isn't Joey a little too calm? Because he hates you, isn't he usually growling like a rabid dog whenever he so much as senses your presence?"

" It doesn't matter." Kaiba stated.

The helicopter landed and everyone jumped out. Sonja was the last. While Yugi slowly approached his friend, she cast a quick glance at Kaiba and started off in the opposite direction.

" Where are you going?" he inquired.

" Off. For a bit." She replied. " I have some stuff to do. Catch you later."

" Sonja!" Sophie called.

" Stay with them, Sophie! I have a feeling this will be tricky. See ya." Sonja called without looking back.

" Forget her." Kaiba said as Sonja left. " It's her worries."

/ooo/

Sonja turned a corner and stood behind a large shipping crate. She watched sadly as her friends realized the horrid truth behind Joey's sudden appearance. She hadn't mentioned it in the chopper. She'd known it was a trap. She'd known since she'd gotten in the helicopter that they were heading straight into Marik's grasp. And though it seemed dangerous where Kaiba and the others were, now, she knew instinctively that Sophie was safer, there.

" Please be careful, Seto. You'd better not let anything happen to Sophie." She whispered. Then, she turned, pulled her deck from her pocket and slipped it into the duel disk.

With that, she turned and started down the alleyway to face whatever came her way.

A/N: So what's Sonja up to?? Only I know, unless there are those of you who A: hacked into my computer and read the story or B: are extremely good guessers. I'm already back five chapters ahead of this one. I'll try to get the updates up as I can. I can't thank you all enough for sticking with me through all of this.


	18. The End of the Preliminaries

The End of The Preliminaries

The End of The Preliminaries

A/N: Okay, here's the next chapter. A little shorter than the others, but it should hold up to satisfaction. Before the story got wiped, (dang I should have backed it up .) there was a lot more here about Kaiba thinking seriously and that sort of thing, but when I rewrote it, I figured it didn't have much to do with the story, so enjoy what I've got.

Night had fallen. Yugi now stood with his friends on the pier, soaking wet, but okay, nonetheless. Marik's plan had been to ensnare both him and Joey to a metal anchor that would plummet into the sea after a certain amount of time. The point was for a brainwashed and controlled Joey to duel Yugi in order to eliminate him from the count. Tea had also been in serious trouble, trapped to a chair beneath a giant crate suspended by a large crane above her head, preventing Kaiba and Mokuba from canceling the duel.

Now, after the duel had ended, Joey returned after Yugi's efforts to bring him back. Even better, Tristan, Duke Devlin and Mai Valentine had arrived sometime after the duel had been completed and had brought Serenity with them, so she got to see her big brother duel, after all. Small story short, yet another catastrophe was avoided, for now.

Kaiba and Mokuba started off after having completed what they had to do for the others, seeing how Tea had helped Mokuba escape from the Rare Hunters.

But now, as they were heading back, Mokuba remembered Sonja and turned to Sophie walking beside him, half-asleep.

" Hey!" he said. " We forgot about Sonja. She left a long time ago. Do you know where she went?" he asked Sophie. Sophie awoke a little.

" Yeah." She mumbled.

" Where, then?" Kaiba said.

Sophie looked at the ground. " I think I'd better hurry home, and fast!" she said in a panicky voice. " I have a very bad feeling!"

" Aw, you're just nervous because the finals begin tomorrow." Mokuba said cheerfully. Sophie shook her head. " No. Something tells me Sonja is there. I have to see her."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed at this. These two sisters were beginning to freak him out. First, Sonja pulls off weird acts of what seemed to be extra perception, and then she pulls a rapid change of mood without even telling Sophie of her intentions.

" Let's go." He said.

" Where to?" Mokuba asked.

" We're taking Sophie home." Kaiba responded. Mokuba glanced at Sophie and shrugged.

A little while later, Kaiba had called for a car to take them back. Mokuba sat in the middle between his brother and Sophie who leaned on the door, staring solemnly out the window. " Today was horrible." She muttered.

" Why's that?" Mokuba asked. " Oh right. The whole kidnapping thing. Can't argue there."

" No, that part wasn't half as bad as watching two best friends get pitted against one another. How could this Marik guy be so evil? I'd surrender before I dueled a serious fight with you, Mokuba." She said. Mokuba gasped. Kaiba, staring out the other window, barely showed surprise other than for his eyes widening.

" Sophie." Mokuba murmured. He looked away in thought.

Minutes later, the car pulled to a stop before Sophie's and Sonja's home. Sophie got out and hurried to the front door. She tugged on the handle.

" Locked." She said as the Kaiba brothers came up behind her. She ran around to the stairs, taking them on all fours. " Sonja's here! She always takes the time to lock the door!" she called excitedly. He reached the top and tried that knob. " Oh no, it's locked too!" she cried in dismay. Mokuba frowned.

" But she knew you were gone. Why would she lock the door?"

" No, it's a tricky lock. It does it on its own, occasionally. Now must be one of those times. But I'll show you a little trick that I know. Do you have some chewing gum?" she asked Mokuba. Kaiba watched bemusedly as Mokuba handed her a wrapped piece. Kaiba knew that Mokuba hated chewing gum, though he could never understand why he always kept a stick in his pocket.

" Thanks." Sophie said. She unwrapped it, put it in her mouth and folded her arms, staring up at the sky as she chewed it.

" Well?" Mokuba said.

" Hold on." She said. " Almost…there." She said. She spit it into her hand and removed a hair pin from her hair. " Now stand back." She said. She leaned toward the doorknob, obscuring it from view. Several small _clinks_ could be heard, followed by what sounded like a tiny bell. Kaiba and Mokuba exchanged bewildered glances before looking back at her. To their stunned surprise, the lock clicked and the door slowly swung open. Sophie popped the gum back into her mouth. " Ta-dah." She said.

" How did you do that?" Mokuba asked. She smugly held up the hairpin.

" The old chewing gum, metal hairpin technique works every time on every kind of lock except British claptrap as I call it."

" What's a British claptrap?" Mokuba inquired.

" More importantly, who on earth taught you that?" Kaiba said.

" Sonja." Sophie answered.

" Sonja??" they both exclaimed.

" Yep. She's a genius with these sorts of things. She just doesn't like to show off." Sophie said. Then her mood turned serious. " Come on. We have to find her. She's in here someplace."

She ran inside. Mokuba followed after her. Kaiba stepped in, too and looked around as they called for her. He made his way to a small room in the back that he figured was their bedroom. He opened the door and peered inside.

" Sophie, Mokuba." He said. He motioned with his head for them to come over and then carefully stepped inside. The moonlight shown through the partially opened window and illuminated the room with a soft bluish glow.

Sonja lay wrapped in a blanket on the floor, her long white hair untied and splayed out behind her. She was sound asleep. Her face was covered in bruises and she had dark circles under her eyes. Sophie knelt down beside her. " Poor thing. She must have just yanked the blanket down and gone to sleep like this." She said sadly. She grabbed her sister around the waist and tried to lift her up onto the bottom bunk of the bed. But Sonja was far too heavy for her.

" Ugh. She's heavy when she's out cold." Sophie grunted, setting her back down. She looked up at Kaiba. " Please help me. I don't want her to stay on the floor. It's freezing now." Sophie said. Kaiba sighed irritably, bent down and easily lifted Sonja, still wrapped up, off the floor. He set her down on the bunk and stepped back.

" Hey," Mokuba said. " Look, there's something in her hand."

Her hand was exposed from the blanket. Inside, something glittered in the moonlight. Kaiba carefully grasped her limp hand and pried the objects loose. He raised them up and his eyes went wide. " Ah!" he gasped.

" What is it?" Sophie asked.

" I don't believe it." Kaiba said, truly unable to fathom it. " She spent the whole time we were monitoring Wheeler's duel, dueling on her own." He said, fanning the objects out in his hand. " She'd managed to find enough duelists to win five locator cards."

" Only five?" Mokuba said. " Woah. She was only one away from making it to the finals. Either she ran out of energy or ran out of duelists and made it back here. She must have been exhausted."

Sophie sat down beside her sister and brushed the hair from her pale face, smiling softly. " I'm proud of Sonja. Facing her ultimate fear, like that, and winning five locator cards to boot. I told you both she was a good duelist."

" It's too bad she only found five, though." Mokuba said. " But I'm surprised she found five. I didn't think there were any duelists left."

" I see she's figured out the other special feature of her duel disk." Kaiba remarked, somewhat impressed. Sophie looked up at him. " What special feature? I knew it was given to her specially, but there was something else other than the Hyozanryu?"

" Yes. That disk is just short of a miniature computer. I've installed a GPS system into its hard-drive as a fully functional microchip I'd been experimenting with. It allows the user to access the hologram projectors as a map as well as for dueling. This shows the user where other duel disks and their wearers are located."

" Wow!" Sophie exclaimed. " So she figured out how to use it to win all of those locator cards?"

" Yes. I'm surprised she did that well for the last night of the preliminaries." Kaiba said dryly.

" Poor Sonja," Sophie said. " But I wonder where those bruises came from."

" Probably from the hologram projectors." Kaiba said. " Unless her opponent got sore about losing."

Sophie frowned angrily. " What idiot would hit a girl like Sonja? That's just cruel!"

She clapped a hand over her mouth with a squeak with Sonja moaned in her sleep and moved slightly. Sophie jumped up, her hands still over her mouth and her eyes wide.

"_ Oops!_" she said in a muffled voice. Fortunately, Sonja didn't awaken, but simply snuggled deeper into the blanket with a tired sigh. Now, only the snowy hair on her head was visible. Sophie sighed in relief. " That was close. I was afraid she'd wake up." She said. " I think I should get some rest, too. I'll want to be up early to try to catch the finals on the radio."

" Huh?" Mokuba said in confusion. " Radio? What for?"

" We don't have a television. Sonja says we don't need one. So she picked up an old radio at—"

" No, that's not what I meant." Mokuba interrupted. " Why are you going to listen for it on the radio?"

" Well, she only won five locator cards, so we don't qualify for the finals." Sophie said, starting toward the door. They followed and Sophie shut the door after they'd all left. " We'll have to stay here." She said sadly. Mokuba smiled suddenly. " No you don't." he said.

" What?" she asked. Kaiba sighed irritably.

" If I know Yugi Moto, he's going to make sure that little group comes with him to the finals and I know for a fact that none of them are in the tournament." He said.

" Besides, you and Sonja are friends." Mokuba said. " So, since Sonja came close, but not close enough, as commissioner of the Battle City Tournament, I am personally inviting the both of you to come and watch the finals tomorrow. Right, bro?" he said with a glance at Kaiba. Kaiba just nodded once. Sophie's face lit up like a light. " Really?" she exclaimed. "Cool! I gotta tell Sonja!"

She rushed back into the bedroom and disappeared for a moment.

"Sophie, it's too early for this." They heard Sonja grumble. She came out of the room with the blanket wrapped tightly around her body. She was vainly trying to shove her hair out of her eyes. Even in the dim light from the street lamps outside, they could see how worn out she was. Kaiba had to admit, he was impressed at her determination.

"Hey, Sonja." Mokuba said. Sonja shrieked, jumped back, and stared, eyes wide. Her head flopped to her chest as she sighed heavily. "Good grief, Mokuba, don't do that!" she exclaimed. She sighed again. "What are you doing here? It's late."

"We brought Sophie home." Mokuba said.

It was now that she noticed Kaiba. She scowled. "So I see. Well, thank you." She said stiffly. "But like I said, it's late and I need some sleep for work tomorrow. I have a large order for a wedding on the other side of town that I need to prepare."

"Sonja," Sophie said. "Mokuba told me some cool news!"

Sonja looked at her and then at Mokuba. "Is that true, Mokuba? Is it cool news?" she said. He nodded. "Yeah! We saw the five locator cards you got."

Sonja cringed.

"And even though you didn't make it, we're inviting you to attend the finals as guests!"

Sonja didn't say anything. She looked at the floor. "I…I'll think about it." She mumbled. She slowly turned and made her way back into the room, closing the door behind her. Sophie sighed. "Well," she said. "If we can go, you'll see us there."

"Do you know how to get there?" Mokuba asked. Sophie blinked. "Oh, I didn't think of that."

"The finals take place at the new KaibaCorp stadium we're building outside of town." Kaiba said. "Show up there around six. Make sure to bring the locator cards."

"Got it." Sophie said. They turned to leave, but Mokuba paused. "Sophie, you still seem down. What's wrong?" he asked.

"I just wish they could get along as well as we do." She said dejectedly.

"Hey, don't worry. Give 'em time." Mokuba said cheerfully.

"I'll try." Sophie said. "So I'll see you come finals day?"

"You got it."

Mokuba hurried after his brother and Sophie turned and sat down at the kitchen table. She sighed. "Sheesh. What a day."

She yawned widely, plunked her head down on the table and fell into a deep sleep.

A/N: Hehe, having Mokuba scare Sonja out of her wits was too fun. Oh and good news. For three years, I have been stuck in the Battle City arc with nowhere else to go. I'm finally learning about why the Pharaoh forgot everything and how. That sort of thing. I won't say what I've learned in case there are new viewers out there just discovering Yu-Gi-Oh.


	19. The Battle City Finals Begin

The Battle City Finals

A/N: Okay, sorry about the wait. I just got Sony Vegas movie studio Platinum 9! I've been geeking about it since I got it. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

The Battle City Finals

Sophie relayed the information to Sonja the next morning. Sonja was still exhausted from her duels the day before, but she tried not to show it as Sophie burst into the room and jumped on top of her, knocking the wind from her lungs in the process. As Sonja sat up, coughing, Sophie started to bounce excitedly. "Hey, Hey, Sonja!" she cried. "The finals start today. We have to get ready! Come on, get up!"

Sonja sighed, still wheezing. "Sophie, I doubt they were serious in inviting us. We'd probably be better off staying home. I have a lot of work to do. I also have to drop off some reports at Kaiba's headquarters." She said quietly.

"Come on, Sonja, this is a real adventure!" Sophie exclaimed. "The Battle City Finals are going to be huge! Who knows what'll happen?"

Sonja sighed again as she leaned against the bedpost. " A lot of things could happen, Sophie. I just don't think I'm up to adventure."

"Come on, Sonni," Sophie whined. " It'll be cool! We'll get to see all of our friends duel for the top! It'll be exciting! Please?"

Sonja looked at her sister as she stared at her hopefully, waiting for an answer. She looked away. "Oh…all right. I suppose." She said finally.

"Yay!" Sophie cried, running about the room in excitement.

"Get ready, then." Sonja said. "I have to set the sprinklers and stuff. Maybe I'll let us eat out today before we go."

"Cool!" Sophie exclaimed. "Hey, can we go to Lonnie's again? I love their hamburgers!"

Sonja smiled. "Sure. We can go to Lonnie's. Now, scram so I can get dressed. Oh, and on the way there, we have to stop and drop off those reports."

"Okay."

Sonja got up slowly, still feeling the ache of her fights from yesterday. It wasn't that the duels were too terribly difficult, it was that a few of the duelists were sore at having lost to a girl. She sighed as she slid to the floor and dug around underneath. She pulled out a box of clothing she still needed to unpack. She pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a white T-shirt. "Hm. I have no idea what this so-called big event is going to be like. These aren't too wrinkled, nor are they too formal." She said, laying the shirt against her chest and looking down at it. "I guess this should be fine."

After she changed, she turned to the tiny little mirror leaning against the wall and quickly ran a brush through her hair, holding it up, making a face and then letting it drop down again. "I'll wear it long for once. My scalp hurts from tying it up so much." She complained, scratching her head.

She tied a blue sweatshirt around her neck and turned. She grabbed her deck and duel disk, and left the room.

She found Sophie seated at the table, chasing a Daddy-Long-Legs around with her finger. Sonja cringed. "Sophie, how can you stand those things?" she asked. "They're so creepy."

"But they're so cute with their spindly legs and teensy little bodies. They can barely run, they just stumble all over themselves." Sophie exclaimed, scooping it into her hand. "I named him Freddy."

"Freddy? How do you know that's a boy spider. What if it's a girl spider?"

"Then she'll be Freddie with an I-e."

Sonja rolled her eyes. She looked at the clock and her breath hitched in her throat. "Sophie, why didn't you wake me up or something? It's already four-thirty!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry, sis, but you were so tired from yesterday, I thought you should sleep. That's the best sleep you've had in years."

Sonja blinked. It couldn't be true; She didn't really feel rested. Since their move, she'd been so restless. She turned to the window and opened it. "Woah, it's chilly today." She said as a blast of cool air hit her face. "Mm, but it feels pretty good."

"Good thing you've got that sweatshirt, huh Sonni?" Sophie said, setting 'Freddy' down on the table. The spider quickly scurried away.

"Yeah and speaking of which, go and grab your cardigan. We'll have to just eat something here. I'm sure I know where that stadium is, and it'll take awhile to walk there."

"Aw." Sophie whined.

"Tell you what." Sonja said. "I'll take you there next week. Okay?"

"Promise?" Sophie said.

"Promise. Now go get ready."

"Right!"

They headed out, Sophie still disappointed at not going to Lonnie's.

/ooo/

"I just have to drop off these reports and we'll get going." Sonja said as they stopped at the main building. Sophie nodded, choosing to wait outside. Sonja went in and cautiously opened the door. "Um, hello?" she called. The secretary in the front desk looked up and smiled. "Ah, you must be Sonja. I've heard your name mentioned by some of the workers around here."

"Huh?" Sonja asked, stepping inside, clutching the reports close.

"Well, it's mainly just Roland."

"Oh, I met him." Sonja said. "You know me, but who are you?"

The lady laughed, a pleasant sound to add a different air to this eerie place. She wasn't chubby, but she had that sort of elderly grandmother look, friendly and passive. Her short rippling red hair was held back by two clips at her temples.

"I'm Ursula. Pleased to meet you, Sonja. What's that you got there?"

"Oh, these are some reports I'm supposed to drop off. S—I mean, Mr. Kaiba bought my shop recently and he requested monthly order forms that I put together."

"Ah." She said. "I'll take them. He's off on that tournament of his. Honestly, that boy's been off ever since he first arrived. He may not appreciate it much, but I do worry about him."

"Huh? Arrived here?" Sonja asked.

"Oh, that's an old story. Anyway, are you going to the tournament?"

Sonja nodded. "Yes. I didn't win but Mokuba sort of invited us."

Ursula smiled. "He's such a cute little guy. I told him that once and he threw a bagel at me."

She laughed. "Well, I won't detain you. But listen here, I just met you and I know I like you. So stop by again after the tournament and visit. I don't get much company anymore since my boys left for the west coast."

Sonja smiled. "I will. Thanks!"

She turned and hurried out. Ursula sighed and turned back to her work. "Such a nice girl. I hope she stays out of trouble."

/ooo/

As Sonja predicted, it took almost two hours to walk all the way to where the stadium was under construction. Sonja also had to account for the rush-hour which delayed their progress somewhat. It was ten to six by the time they got there.

"It's dark." Sophie whispered.

"Yeah. I wonder if we're the first ones here." Sonja said quietly.

"Knowing you and your tendency to be unfashionably early, I wouldn't be surprised." Sophie grumbled. Sonja glowered at her. "Zip it."

Sonja made her way toward the entrance and was surprised when the lights within suddenly blared to life. At least now she could see where she was going.

In the center, she could see Kaiba and Mokuba, obviously waiting for the finalists to arrive.

"Sonja, Sophie!" Mokuba cried when he noticed them. "You made it!"

"Yeah!" Sophie exclaimed. "We're totally ready for dueling action!"

Sonja rolled her eyes. "Actually, she sort of talked me into it." She said.

"How?" Mokuba asked.

"By jumping on me while I was sleeping and crushing every ounce of air from my lungs." She growled, folding her arms. Sophie grinned sheepishly.

"Glad you could make it." Mokuba said.

"Sure." Sonja replied. "It was easy to find this place. I remember seeing it when Seto here kidnapped me." She growled with an angry glance at him. Mokuba and Sophie exchanged confused looks, but decided not to say anything.

At that moment, Yugi, Joey, Mai and the others arrived in the stadium and Sophie went back to stand with Sonja. "Isn't this exciting, sis?"

"Yeah, I suppose." Sonja said half-heartedly. Truth was, she felt horribly out of place. Sophie hurried over to ask Mokuba some questions. Sonja sighed and folded her arms, watching as Yugi and his friends were admitted as finalists.

"I'm surprised to see you here."

She whirled when she heard Kaiba behind her and scowled. "I'm surprised I decided to show up. For the record, I did it for Sophie." She snapped.

"Whatever." He grumbled. He turned as a kid with sandy hair and violet eyes appeared and greeted Yugi and the gang. Sonja heard Tea introduce him as Namu. A few minutes later, that kid Bakura showed up. Sonja immediately recognized him because he was the only other kid in the school with unusual white hair. Sonja had been glad to know she wasn't the only one with a strange hair color. While Bakura's appearance caused a bit of a fuss among his friends, Sonja watched the door for the remaining two finalists. She was sure that this Marik guy would be among them.

"Excuse me."

She turned. It was that Namu kid. "Hi." She said. "You're Namu, right? I heard them introduce you."

"Yes, and you must be Sonja. I've heard your name mentioned once or twice."

Sonja nodded, a little wary. It was never good to grow too fond of someone you only just met.

"Who is this?" he asked, spotting Sophie cowering behind her.

"Um, this is my little sister, Sophie." Sonja answered. Sophie just hummed and drifted out of sight behind her sister. Namu chuckled. "I see she's a little shy. It's all right. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Thanks. Same here." Sonja said as he headed back to the group. But she frowned and hummed.

"Look, it's the seventh finalist." She heard Bakura say. She turned and her eyes widened. A man approached donning a black hood and cape, face partially shadowed.

"State your name right now." Kaiba demanded as he approached.

" I am Marik." The man said quietly, but ominously.

"Sis, is that really Marik? The guy who kidnapped me, Tea and Mokuba?"

Sonja frowned. "I can't honestly say, Sophie."

She watched as Marik wandered off toward the edge of the group.

"All right!" Roland announced. " Can I have your attention, please? Seven out of eight of you are here. So now, it's time to announce, that although your locator cards led you here, this is not the site of the Battle City Finals."

"Huh?" Sonja muttered.

"The actual tournament arena should be arriving here any second now, folks." Roland announced.

"What's he mean by that?" Sophie asked Mokuba. Mokuba grinned. "You'll see."

Suddenly, the lights above them moved toward the night sky and everyone looked up. "Look there!" Joey exclaimed. "It's Kaiba's blimp!"

"Woah." Sonja said to herself.

"Stand back! We'll all be boarding shortly." Roland announced. "Kaiba Craft III, you are cleared for landing."

"So we're dueling in the sky?" Yugi asked.

"Yup." Mokuba replied. "Four-thousand feet in the sky to be exact."

Sophie gagged suddenly, causing Kaiba and Mokuba to glance at her curiously. "What's with her?" Kaiba wanted to know.

"Uh, she's got a bit of an issue with motion sickness." Sonja explained. "The result of falling out of a chair swing ride at the fair."

"Don't worry, Sophie." Mokuba said reassuringly. "This thing flies so smoothly, it's as if you're on solid ground."

Sophie swallowed. " A-Are you sure?" she stammered. Mokuba nodded. "Yep. C'mon. I'll go up with you."

He led her toward where it had come to land in the center of the stadium. Once he reached that point, he turned to everyone. "All right, listen up! It's time board Kaiba Craft III for the start of the Battle City Finals!"

The stairs unfolded in front of them. Kaiba glanced at Sonja. "You don't get airsick, do you?" he asked. She shook her head. "Good." He said. "Because once this ship's in the air, there's no going down for a long time."

"You make it sound like a threat." She grumbled.

Roland turned to them. "We'll depart as soon as the eighth duelist arrives. Climb aboard and watch your step."

After Mai, Joey, Bakura, Marik, Namu and Yugi had boarded, Sonja joined Tea, Duke, Serenity and Tristan to board. But as they started up, they were stopped by Roland and his partner. "Hold it. I can't let you on without tournament ID's." he said. Sonja didn't say anything, not really all that surprised. After all, she'd doubted that security would be so slack as to let a bunch of bystanders along without a bit of a struggle. As Tea, Tristan, Duke and Serenity tried to persuade them, Mokuba spoke up. "Give it a rest, Roland. We can bend the rules for them. I don't have an ID card."

"But they're Mr. Kaiba's rules." Roland protested.

"Well, big bro?" Mokuba asked.

"Whatever." Kaiba mumbled. This totally stunned Sonja and as the rest of them dashed up the steps, she had to shake herself out of her surprise and hurry after them.

Suddenly, she lost her footing and stumbled. She got back up and continued forward but Roland stopped her. "Excuse me, Miss Gavens, but are you all right? You're quite pale."

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. Thanks, though." She said. She continued up the steps.

But for some reason, she couldn't seem to catch her breath.

/ooo/

Before she knew it, the ship had taken off and they were flying above the city. She was able to temporarily forget her dizziness as she gazed down at the lights. Sophie was bouncing on her toes in excitement. "It's so cool!" she exclaimed. She looked up at her sister and was surprised to see her with her eyes slightly closed. "Sonni, are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, Sophie. I'm fine. Uh, hey, look. I think I see the shop." She said, pointing. "Where? I don't see it!" Sophie cried.

When Joey started to rant suddenly, she knew that Kaiba was busy irritating him as usual. She rolled her eyes and sighed, hoping Joey could keep his temper down.

"_Attention Battle City finalists, please report to your assigned rooms which you'll access with your ID cards." _

"Hear that, Sonni?" Sophie asked. "We aren't finalists. Where are we supposed to go?"

"Don't worry." Mokuba said suddenly, coming over to them. "Since there are more of you than expected, we're looking for rooms for you all. Because since it's just the two of you, we found one for you guys already. Follow me."

He led everyone further into the aircraft and waited as each duelist found his or her assigned room. Once everyone had done so, he continued on. "It's right here." He said. He stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall. "Number 14."

He opened the door with a security code and stepped aside. Sophie was the first to explore. "Cool!" she exclaimed. Sonja seemed a bit cautious. Mokuba noticed and tilted his head. "What's the matter, Sonja?" he asked.

"I just feel a little out of place." Sonja admitted. "Everyone here seems to know each other. I only really know you and your brother and something tells me that some of the others might resent us for that. They aren't too fond of Seto from what I can see."

Mokuba laughed. "Don't worry so much. I've known Yugi and his friends for awhile now and they're cool. It's because of them that we left Duelist Kingdom in one piece."

"Duelist Kingdom?" Sonja questioned. "That sounds familiar."

"It was this big tournament hosted by Maximillian Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters." Mokuba explained. "It's a long story, so why don't you guys get settled and we'll be calling for everyone in a little bit."

Sonja smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem." He replied. He started back toward the front of the craft. Sonja went inside the room and found Sophie staring out the window. "Ooh, it's pretty!" she said. "I've never seen the city like this before."

She turned to her sister. "Sonja, you have to come see this."

"Wow, we're pretty high up. You okay, then?" she asked Sophie. Sophie grinned. "Yep. Mokuba was right. This thing really does fly smoothly."

Sonja smiled wearily. "Good. I'm glad you're feeling all right." She muttered, slightly jealous. She was suddenly feeling very light-headed. Her body felt like it was fading away and she barely felt herself moving to sit down on the bed. She rubbed her eyes and sighed. Thankfully, Sophie didn't notice. Sonja didn't want her to worry. She was probably just tired.

_"Attention Duelists." _

Sonja looked over by the door. A screen of some sort had just lit up and Roland was speaking to everyone. "_The Battle City Finals are about to begin. Mr. Kaiba requests the presence of all finalists in the main hall." _

"I guess it's time to go." Sonja said. She got to her feet, swayed a bit and clutched her wrist, suddenly feeling nauseous. This time, Sophie noticed. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked concernedly. "You're white as a sheet."

"I'm okay. I'm just tired." Sonja said with a smile. Sophie appeared doubtful, but accepted her explanation.

As they left the room, Kaiba passed them on his way to the main hall. He paused and glanced back. He noticed that Sonja did not look well at all. But he knew better than to say anything. She'd just shrug it off as nothing. But he could see that something was wrong. She was deathly pale and visibly shook like she was cold.

Frowning, he continued toward the main hall.

/ooo/

The main hall was crowded with the finalists and various guests all waiting to see who was going to face who in the upcoming battles. Sonja lingered by the window, trying to catch her breath. She failed to see in her reflection how sick she looked. But she did her best to keep her spirits somewhat up and hope no one else would ask her if she was okay.

The sound of footsteps behind her made her freeze. She turned.

"Hey, Seto." She muttered. She returned her gaze to the window.

"Sonja, what's wrong with you?" he asked quietly, but firmly. "You look horrible."

"No, I don't. I feel fine. I wish everyone would stop asking if I'm okay." She snapped. She scowled at the window and folded her arms. "I'm doing just fine."

"Could have fooled me." He muttered. "What do you think of the finals arrangements?"

"I think they're pretty awesome. I certainly wasn't expecting this, that's for sure." She said, turning to look at everything. "And Sophie seems to be doing okay. Normally, she doesn't travel that well."

"Now if you can just admit there's something wrong with you." He added. She glowered at him. "I'm fine. I'm just tired. I'm not sick and I don't know what you mean when you say I look sick. Now leave me alone."

She whirled back to stare out the window.

A little while later, Sonja was startled when the lights suddenly dimmed. She turned as a light above a central platform blared to life. Roland stood there with his hands behind his back, staring at all of them intently.

A large machine began to rise up from below the platform and stopped in place.

"Finalists and guests, may I have your attention please? Now the first two duelists for round one will be chosen by lottery."

"What's the jackpot?" Mai asked wryly.

"To guarantee fairness, each pair of opponents will be selected completely at random. You've all been assigned a number of one through eight. The selector will now choose the first two numbers. The second pair of numbers will not be drawn until a winner is declared in the first duel. Thus, you will not know your opponent's identity until just before you duel."

"I'm fighting the urge to yell out bingo." Tristan muttered.

"Go ahead, I'll laugh." Duke replied. To this, Sonja smiled and shook her head.

"All of these balls are of equal size and weight. The selector produces results that are one hundred percent random. Does everyone remember his or her number? Good. We shall now begin selecting the first two duelists for the finals, round one. I'll engage the machine."

He turned toward the selector. "Random select! Remember your numbers. If your number is chosen, you'll be participating in the first duel of the Battle City Finals."

A ball was caught and rolled into the slot. "And the first duelist is…number six! Bakura!"

Sonja nodded as she understood how it was working. But she was now leaning against the wall, since for some reason, it was taking all of her energy just to stand up.

"Stand by while we choose the next duelist. Please note that all selections are final. As soon as the second duelist is chosen, both participants must proceed to the arena."

Everyone watched as another ball was caught and slid into the slot. "Bakura's opponent in the first duel is…duelist number three! Yugi Moto! The first duel of the Battle City Finals will begin immediately in the Stratos Dueling arena. This duel will follow the Battle City rules and regulations. The loser will relinquish his rarest card to the winner, as well as be expelled from the finals. The winner will advance to round two."

As everyone discussed the outcomes and Roland announced where the finals were going to take place, Sonja suddenly felt a horrible falling sensation. She could feel it as she took a step forward to follow her friends to watch the duel, but she was surprised when she started to fall forward suddenly. Before she hit the floor, her vision blackened and just before she fell unconscious, she heard voices of concern all around her.

Then, there was nothing.


	20. The Virtual Nightmare

A?N: Sorry about the wait. Fanfiction changed their settings, so it took me awhile to get my bearings. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

The Virtual Nightmare

Sonja tried to see past the suffocating darkness surrounding her. She strained her eyes in an attempt to discover where she was. But she couldn't see a thing.

"Where am I?" she asked. "Hello? Is anybody here? Where am I? Hello?"

She proceeded forward, cautiously.

Suddenly, her foot slipped down to the left and she caught herself by falling to her knees on the ground. She took several shaky breaths and looked over. Her heart leapt into her throat when she saw the pitch black ravine, even darker than the darkness around her. She shakily stood up and moved away from it toward the right. When she put her other foot behind her, she screamed when she felt more nothingness instead of hard ground. She flailed her arms in front of her and fell down again, gasping. She took a cautious look behind her and swallowed hard. Another ravine, identical to the one on the other side lay before her. In other words, she was walking on a narrow strip of ground going right down the center of the two ravines. As she got her balance, it seemed to her that the strip of land was slowly shrinking. She stood up. "Help! Hello! Can anybody hear me?"

_Sonja! _

She paused. "Who's there?"

_Sonja! Help me! _

"I know that voice." She whispered.

_Sonja, where are you? Help me!_

Sonja started to run forward and stumbled again on the shrinking pathway. Her breath came in short quick gasps and she looked up.

_Sonja! _

The voice seemed to be fading. "I know you. Where are you? Tell me!"

_Sonja!_

At that moment, the pathway crumbled beneath her feet, combining the two ravines into one, sending her plummeting down into the dark abyss.

_Sonja!!_

"Dad!" she screamed as she fell down, down into the darkness.

//ooo//

"I don't understand." The on-ship doctor exclaimed as he struggled to keep Sonja from flailing around anymore than she already had. "She seems fine now, except for the obvious nightmare."

She screamed suddenly and bolted up, gasping. The doctor stumbled back and sighed in relief. "Well, that's better." He mumbled. Sonja looked around blearily. "Where am I?" she asked. She was able to see that Yugi, Tea, Serenity, Joey, Duke and Tristan were all there. They all showed obvious relief on their faces. She blinked. "What's going on?"

"Whew, glad you're finally better." Tea said. "You had us pretty worried, there."

"What happened?" Sonja said.

"You blacked out after the first round was decided. The doctor said you were suffering from severe exhaustion. Did you rest at all before you came?"

"Yeah, but I guess I had some restless sleep earlier. I suppose I missed the first round, huh? Who won and when are they going to announce the second round?"

Here, everyone exchanged glances of discomfort and Sonja grew suspicious. "Guys, when?" she persisted.

"Sonja," Joey started. "The preliminary duels are over. We're starting for the semi-finals now."

Sonja froze. "How long was I asleep?" she asked.

"Almost twelve hours." The doctor announced.

Sonja seemed downcast. "I can't believe I missed the duels." She groaned. She gasped suddenly. "Wait, where's Sophie?"

"Oh, she's asleep over there." Tea said, pointing to a seat by the window where Sophie lay curled up, sound asleep. "She didn't leave your side this entire time."

Sonja sighed. " I still feel bad."

"Don't be. We're glad that someone came to check on you after you were put in here. You were so weak, you were starting to develop a fever. Fortunately, it was caught in time."

"Who was it?"

But he didn't hear her. He turned to her friends and instructed them to let her rest for a few more hours.

"It's after one, you know. You should all get some rest."

"Right." Yugi said. He looked at Sonja. "One of us will stay and make sure you sleep all right." He said.

"Thanks." She mumbled. It turned out that Tea volunteered to stay with her. Sonja took this opportunity to ask her what happened. "Who won the duels?" she asked.

"Well, Yugi won the first round. And then Joey won the second round against that guy we all thought was Marik and then the real Marik won the third round. Kaiba won the fourth round." She said.

"Wait, 'guy you thought was Marik'?" Sonja said, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Tea said, uncertain. "See, apparently, Namu was Marik all along. The guy we believed was him turned out to be someone named Odeon. But after that duel, Marik got even worse. He sent Mai to the shadow realm."

Sonja gasped in alarm. But she was speechless and stared at her hands.

"What's wrong, Sonja? You act as if you caused all this."

"I know I didn't. But I feel guilty that I wasn't there. Mai was a friend, too."

"Don't worry about it, Sonja."

"But I do still want to know. Who discovered I was getting a fever?"

Tea smiled. "Who else? Kaiba did."

"Wha—?" Sonja exclaimed. Tea laughed. "Yep. I could see from the moment you collapsed that he was worried about you. After you blacked out, he immediately called for help to get you here. Then, he lingered outside until he was certain you'd be all right. But don't tell him I told you all this."

Sonja was stunned to say the least. Then, she sighed, resting her chin on her hand. "That guy is so confusing sometimes." She muttered. "First he acts like he hates me and then he's trying to save me. What next?"

"I'll tell you what's next." Tea said. "Go to sleep so you can worry about it tomorrow."

Sonja chuckled. "All right. Night Tea." She said, burrowing into the blanket.

"Night, Sonja. Sleep well."

She was back asleep within minutes, but when she woke up again, the room was completely dark. She looked out the window. The sun was just starting to rise over the water. At a quick glance at Tea, she saw that she was gone. "Hm. I wonder where she went. Oh well. Time to get up."

She flipped the blanket neatly over the frame and got her shoes on. Then, she quietly made her way out of the room. She hoped Kaiba was awake, because she needed to speak with him.

//ooo//

Kaiba sat staring out the window in his room, the tension aboard keeping him from sleeping. He knew it would catch up to him sooner or later. Though he pretended not to care, Sonja's little incident the night before was disturbing. He'd known something was wrong. He could still remember checking on her a little while after Yugi's duel against Bakura:

_Kaiba knocked once, waited and then opened the lock on the door with the security code. He was surprised to find the room completely dark. He carefully entered and looked around. Sonja was slumped in a window seat, her head resting against the metal frame. He wondered why she'd done that, since that looked anything but comfortable. He made his way over and shook her lightly. "Sonja, are you all right?" _

_She didn't move. Concerned, he placed his hand on her forehead and immediately pulled back in alarm. No wonder she had her head on the metal. It was cool. She was burning up and bad. He hurried over to the room's built in phone. After putting in the number, he waited impatiently. _

_"This is Seto Kaiba. I need an on-site doctor to room 14 now." He snapped. "Don't ask questions, just do it!" _

_He threw the phone down and went over to Sonja. He carefully picked her up and set her back down on the bed. He could see that she looked even worse. He could only hope it was nothing serious. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't land the ship for anything. The circumstances just wouldn't allow it, tournament or no tournament. That's what he had wished everyone onboard could understand. _

_Then, he backed up against the wall, folded his arms and waited, continuing to watch over her until the medic arrived. _

The doctor had told him that it was a major case of exhaustion that had probably triggered a viral infection inside her body. She'd been given some medicine to help her sleep and fight it off. The doctor had assured everyone she'd be fine when she woke up.

He scowled. In that single moment of realizing she really was sick, for a tiny fraction of a millisecond, he'd been afraid. He wasn't sure why. All he knew was that he didn't want it to happen again.

He pulled out his deck and sorted through the cards, an activity that usually kept him focused. But right now, he couldn't concentrate on it. He just couldn't keep his eyes on the cards. He continued to zone out, lost in thought.

He almost didn't hear it when someone knocked on the door. He glanced at it and got up to answer it. As soon as the door opened, his eyes widened in shock.

"What the—? Sonja, what are you doing up already?" he demanded.

"I wanted to talk to you. Tea told me you're the one who found me last night and called for a doctor."

Well, this was a first. Kaiba had put many other people on the spot before, but never had he himself been there. But thanks to his dueling experience, he was able to keep his face blank. "Your point?"

" Why did you get help for me? I was under the impression that we hated each other." She grumbled. Kaiba rolled his eyes and stepped back. She took this as an invitation to come in. She did so and he shut the door. He faced her with a firm look. "Listen, Sonja, what I did is none of your business." He snapped.

"Uh, since it had to do with me at the time, yes it does, wise guy." She retaliated. "Besides, I have a right to know."

He regarded her coldly for a moment. "Sonja, why you see a reason to drag me into all of your own little issues is beyond me. But I have no interest whatsoever, so why don't you do me a favor and leave me out of it all."

She sighed irritably. "You just don't get it. It's not like I mean to drag anyone in. Heck, If I had my way, no one would even know about me. But, due to certain circumstances, that isn't and never will be the case."

"What are you talking about?"

Sonja looked away. "Nothing. In any case, I just want to know why you helped me. No one but you has ever helped me and not expect something horrid in return. I can't help feeling a little suspicious."

Kaiba frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sonja folded her arms. "I don't like to talk about it." She said firmly. "Lets' just say I've sort of had to fend for myself for quite some time. However, I didn't like accepting help because everyone I asked wanted something in return that I couldn't or wouldn't give. You're different. I don't know why, or if I've lost it, but you're the first person I've come to trust since I arrived in Domino city."

After that, neither of them spoke for several minutes. Then, Kaiba moved over to stand by the window, facing away from her so she couldn't see the frustration on his face. " Sonja, whatever happened to you doesn't concern me." He grumbled. He didn't notice Sonja look away. "I'm aware of that. However, you at least deserve this much. Thank you."

He turned suddenly. "For what?"

She remained expressionless. "For helping me anyway. Although it's not something I'm used to, I appreciate everything you've done to help us."

Kaiba didn't say anything. He knew what she meant. He wasn't used to having anyone thank him for anything. He hummed and turned away. "Whatever." He mumbled.

Suddenly, what felt like a tremor swept through the aircraft as it veered sharply to the left. Sonja lost her footing and started to fall backwards. Kaiba lashed out and caught her arm before she hit the wall, holding onto the back of a chair to keep himself upright. He looked out the window. The sky seemed to tilt. He frowned. "Someone's changing our course." He grumbled.

The floor leveled out a bit and they cautiously tried to stand. "I wonder what happened." Sonja said.

"There's only one way to find out." Kaiba replied. He left the room and started for the control room. Sonja followed, somewhat anxious.

"What's going on?" he exclaimed when he found the pilots in disarray in the control room. Mokuba turned around from his position at the controls. "Seto! We've lost control, see? The blimp is changing direction on its own!"

"Impossible. How can this be?" Kaiba demanded.

"I don't know." The pilot replied. "It's as if the autopilot was reprogrammed."

"Then shut it down and do it right now!"

"Hey!"

Kaiba turned as Joey and the others rushed in. "What's up with the turbulence?"

"Yeah, some of us sleep past five." Tristan growled.

"Oh no!" the pilot yelled suddenly. "The autopilot isn't responding, Mr. Kaiba!" he said as the blimp veered sharply.

"Sonja!"

Sonja turned at the sound of her sister's voice as Sophie leapt into her arms. "I'm scared! Are we gonna crash?"

"Make it respond!" Kaiba yelled at the pilot as everyone struggled to regain balance.

"But it's rejecting every one of my commands! What should I do?"

"I pay you good money, now do whatever it takes to get us back on course to KaibaCorp Island!"

"That pile of junk?" Tristan exclaimed as the vision on the screen was enhanced.

"Hey! Watch what you're calling junk! That's where our company started!" Mokuba snapped.

"Is that the final dueling site?" Yugi asked.

"It is." Kaiba said slowly. "I built it from the ruins of my stepfather's empire. It symbolizes the triumph of new over old."

"KaibaCorp wasn't always a game company." Mokuba said. "The corporation was originally set up by our step-dad to construct high-tech vehicles for war. But then Seto took over and changed all that. That island out there used to be the company's central headquarters, until my brother tore down all the military factories. Then he built that duel tower on top of the rubble as a symbol of the new KaibaCorp."

"That's enough, Mokuba." Kaiba snapped.

"I think we hit a sore spot." Joey pointed out.

Sonja looked out at the island with fascination. "That's cool." She muttered.

"Huh?" Mokuba said in confusion.

"Huh? Oh, nothing." She replied quickly. She set Sophie down after she seemed a little calmer.

"I've got it!" the pilot exclaimed triumphantly. "Our navigation computers are taking commands from outside the ship! Someone's hacked into the mainframe and changed our destination coordinates."

Everyone became alarmed at this.

"There's no way that's true! The security system on this ship is state of the art!" Mokuba said angrily.

"Apparently not!" Sophie snapped.

"What do you know, Sophie?" Mokuba challenged.

"A heck of a lot!" Sophie backfired.

"Not the time, you two!" Sonja yelled.

"Our situation is worsening!" the pilot cried as the ship began to veer sharply downwards. "We're losing altitude rapidly!"

"I can see that, you buffoon!" Kaiba grumbled.

"Everybody hold on!" he yelled as the ship slammed into the water's surface. At the last second, it pulled out of its dive and began to gain altitude once more. "Is everyone all right?"

"Ugh." Tristan mumbled. "You mean besides the whiplash and the sprained ankle?"

"Ow." Sonja muttered, picking herself up. "That was more fun than I ever want to have again."

"Can you say lawsuit!?" Joey shouted.

"Try the emergency override system!" Mokuba suggested.

"It's no use! I've been completely locked out!"

Suddenly, the screen began to fizzle out as a new image appeared in place of the island.

"_Greetings, duelists." _

Everyone looked up at the screen as someone appeared. "_There's nothing wrong with your television set. I'm in control, now." _

"Identify yourself." Kaiba growled irritably.

"_Always barking orders, aren't you? I've been observing you and it's time I put you in your place, Seto. So from now on, I'll be calling the shots around here and my first order of business is to put an end to your little card game." _

"You'll never get away with this, you creep!" Mokuba yelled.

"Who is that?" Sophie asked.

_"Too late for that. I already have." _

"Look, kid, I demand to know your name." Kaiba said.

_"There you go again. Well fine. The name is Noah. And you and I go back quite a long way, Seto." _

"All right, enough of your foolish games!" Kaiba snapped.

"_I'm afraid my games have only just begun, you fools." _Noah said as the image returned to the original screen.

"What do you think he meant by that, Seto?" Mokuba asked nervously.

"Unfortunately, I think we're about to find out." Joey said in reply.

"Uh, guys?" Sonja interrupted. "You might want to take a look at this."

She was pointing down at the water below and the image quickly appeared on screen.

"What is that?" Tea exclaimed.

"Seems like some kind of underwater fortress or something." Joey said.

"I don't like the looks of it."

"It's huge!" said Duke.

"And it's still growing!"

"I have bad news, Mr. Kaiba." The pilot said hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"Well, it appears that fortress is using a tractor beam to pull our aircraft towards it."

"Let us go!" Mokuba cried in alarm and anger.

"Look, you little brat, enough's enough!" Tristan yelled at the screen.

"It's no use guys, that kid has us right where he wants us." Joey said in defeat. "I just wish I knew where that was."

"Welcome to the club, Joey." Sonja murmured, staring out the window as a large metallic platform opened up beneath them, as though to swallow them whole.

There was a sharp clank from beneath the airship.

"He's activated our landing functions, sir! There's nothing I can do!"

"Now what?" Sonja asked Kaiba. He glanced at her briefly. "As soon as we land, I'll make that little brat pay." He grumbled.

"I want first crack at him." Tristan protested.

"Easy, he's just a kid." Duke said quietly.

"Kid or not, Duke, he's kidnapping us." Sonja pointed out.

"Sonni, are we gonna be okay?" Sophie asked nervously. "Of course we are." Sonja said reassuringly. "Just stay with me, okay?"

"Are we safe, Joey?" Serenity asked.

"Sure." Joey answered confidently. "As long as I'm around."

"That's enough!" Kaiba snapped. "This is my aircraft and I'll handle this on my own."

"Whatever." Joey grumbled. Sonja sighed. "Look, this is all of our problem now." She said. "So before you act rashly, make sure you know what we're all up against, first."

Kaiba glared at her.

The craft landed suddenly and they saw what looked like an air-dock clamp down across the top of the blimp, preventing its escape. At the same time, Noah appeared on the screen again, a cruel smirk on his face as he stared them all down.

"_Thanks for dropping in, Seto. Time for you and your friends to exit the ship." _

"Is that so?" Kaiba sneered. "What if we don't?"

_"Heh, heh. I'm afraid at this point, refusal is not an option. Thanks to my stun phasers." _

"Good grief!" Sonja yelled as what appeared to be miniature rifles rolled on sockets in the walls around them, aiming directly at them.

"Do what he says!" Tristan said.

"This kid's nuts!"

"Humph." Kaiba regained his composure and headed toward the exit. "You all stay here."

"Kaiba don't!" Yugi yelled.

"Look, this is my battle, Yugi. So don't do me any favors."

He turned to his brother. "Mokuba, you are not to leave this ship."

"Hold it." Sonja said suddenly. "You can't expect us to listen. We're all stuck here, you know."

Kaiba pretended to ignore her. "Noah, I'll be coming out to you, alone! Any questions?"

As an answer, the stun phasers outside began to fire rapidly into the ship. Sophie screamed and turned away and Sonja stepped in front of her, eyes wide in alarm. "Stop it, Seto! You're going to get everyone killed!" she yelled.

_"Care to reconsider your decision?" Noah asked. _

"I can answer that for him!" Joey replied.

"_Now lets' try this whole thing again, shall we, Seto? Please be so kind as to exit the ship—with your friends?" _

Kaiba growled to himself and turned. "Fine. Everyone out." He snapped. Yugi and the others started for the exit. Kaiba turned to make sure the screen was off. Then he looked at Sonja. "Stop. You're still sick, so you're going to stay here." He said quietly so that Noah wouldn't hear him.

"No way. I've said it twice already, we're all involved. That includes me." She said in defiance.

"Sonja. Ugh, whatever, just stay out of the way."

Once outside the ship, Kaiba paused. "Let me handle this and we'll be out of here soon." He said irritably.

"Look," Joey said. " I don't know what this kid's beef is with you, but it's our problem now, too so—"

"I've heard that enough, today!" Kaiba snapped.

"_Now if you'll all proceed straight ahead, we can continue this party." _Noah said over the speakers. At that moment, Roland and his partner tried to exit the ship as well, only to be stopped by the phasers. _"You two goons can wait on the ship. This invitation is for duelists only." _

Sonja suddenly grew nervous. She pulled Sophie closer. Kaiba glanced at them. "Just keep quiet. He doesn't have to know Sophie isn't a duelist." He muttered.

"All right." Sonja said tensely.

The corridor they were led into was almost completely dark and quite narrow. Sophie kept a tight hold on Sonja's hand the entire way.

"What is it you want from us, Noah?" Yugi called out.

"_Everything will be made clear soon enough. Just continue to the end of the hallway where my associates will greet you. They're especially excited to see you, Mr. Kaiba." _

"This place is creepy. I want to go back to the ship." Sophie whined.

"Shh." Sonja hissed. "Between whatever's waiting up ahead and that Marik creep back onboard, I'd rather have you where I can see you." She whispered.

Sophie swallowed. "Mm-hmm." She said.

Finally, a metallic door in front of them slid open, leading to an even darker room beyond.

"This is getting creepier and creepier." Tea stammered.

The door slammed behind them. "Check it out. What is this place?" Mokuba wondered aloud.

"Too big to be a racquetball court." Joey said.

Sonja shivered. "I feel like we're being watched." She said, gazing around her.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sonja." Kaiba grumbled at her. She rolled her eyes in response.

All of a sudden, loud laughter from many different voices began to ring out through the domed area. Seconds later, a blinding flash illuminated the room and the voices grew louder.

"Who's there?" Kaiba called. "Show yourselves!"

"With pleasure." A deep, older-sounding voice replied. Five darkened figures appeared at the far end of the room.

"Wait! It can't be!" Kaiba yelled in alarm.

"You should have known we'd be back, Seto Kaiba." The man in the front of the group said. "For revenge."

The man chuckled. "Surprised to see us again, Kaiba?"

"So you know these five suits, man?" Tristan said.

"They're creepy." Sophie whimpered.

"I heard that, you little brat."

"Hey!" Sonja yelled. "Don't you dare insult my sister or you'll be sorry you messed with me."

"Sonja, don't waste your breath. They aren't worth it." Kaiba said to her.

"I can't put my finger on it, but something about these guys seems really familiar to me." Yugi said ponderously.

"These are the five creeps that tried to get rid of Seto and take over KaibaCorp!" Mokuba spat. "Gansley, Crump, Johnson, Nesbit and Lector—also known as The Big Five."

"That's right!" Joey said, remembering. "They trapped Kaiba in cyberland until we saved him."

"Almost right." Kaiba corrected him. "They were hired by my stepfather to serve as KaibaCorp's board of directors. But that wasn't enough power for them, so they tried to destroy me using my own virtual technology and take over my company."

"They what?" Sonja exclaimed.

"Yeah. But when those virtual creepazoids lost, they were imprisoned in the virtual world, instead of Seto." Mokuba explained.

"That's right." Said Gansley. "But did you honestly believe that you'd seen the last of us? We wandered through cyberspace for what seemed like an eternity, thinking of one question over and over again: how could we get revenge for our suffering?"

Crump spoke up. "We finally found our answer the day that Noah hacked his way into KaibaCorp's mainframe."

Now it was Johnson's turn. "Once we discovered that we all shared a common enemy in Seto Kaiba, naturally Noah uploaded our minds into his system."

"So you guys are virtual?" Tea said.

"Woah. I didn't know virtual technology was that advanced." Sonja muttered.

Kaiba didn't seem impressed. "I defeated you once and I can easily do it again." He challenged.

"We plan to give you every opportunity to do so, Mr. Kaiba, for we've devised a new game with Noah's help."

"What kind of a game are we talking about, you snake?" Kaiba snapped.

Gansley chuckled darkly. "Oh, it's a game you're quite familiar with, Mr. Kaiba. It's a duel monsters tournament, a virtual duel monsters tournament, that is, and you're all invited to participate."

"But why do you guys want to duel us?" Yugi questioned.

Crump spoke. "Our minds have been trapped in this virtual prison for so long, we've lost our bodies."

This time, it was Nesbit who spoke. "But if we defeat you in Noah's virtual arena, then we'll return to the real world in your bodies."

"What the—?" Sonja yelled. "You guys are warped! That's insane!"

"No one's taking over my body again!" Joey shouted angrily. Sonja glanced at him. "'Again'? Does this stuff happen to you guys often?"

"Too much."

"Eh, sometimes."

"Once in awhile."

"Umm…."

"That's enough!" Gansley barked. "Now, it's time to pay a visit to our special dueling world."

The room began to warp and spin and Sonja felt as though she were being ripped in one direction and pulled back in the other direction. Another blinding light flashed before them and she was forced to shut her eyes as the sensation grew worse. The next thing she knew, she was lying facedown on the ground and gradually awoke to the sound of strange birds calling overhead. She sat up and saw that everyone was around her. Slowly, they all regained their senses and got up.

"It's a jungle." Tristan said in awe.

"Not quite." Yugi corrected him.

"What do you mean Yugi? Looks like a jungle to me."

Kaiba looked around suspiciously. "Weren't you geeks listening? This environment is virtual."

Sonja stared in amazement as what looked like a Pterosaur swooped above their heads and disappeared over the treetops.

"Sonja, I wanna go home!" Sophie yelped in alarm.

"Relax, Sophie. None of this is real, remember?"

Sophie looked up fearfully. "So, it's like Mario?"

Sonja laughed. "It's exactly like Mario. Only here, you get to live it, not just play it."

Sophie beamed suddenly. "Wow!" she cried.

Tea seemed doubtful. "Are you guys sure this isn't real? Because it sure smells real."

"That was me." Tristan admitted.

"Tristan, that's gross!" Tea exclaimed in disgust.

All of a sudden, the ground began to shake. Sonja swallowed. "Um, guys, what's going on?"

" I don't like the sound of this." Mokuba stammered. He gasped when an enormous reptilian head appeared over the treetops and glared down at them menacingly.

"D-Don't panic!" Joey cried. "It's just a hologram!"

"Are you sure?" Serenity asked him shakily.

"W-Why? Don't I seem sure?"

Kaiba turned to Sonja. "Listen to me. I want you to stay right here beside me. I'd like to show you something." He said.

"Huh? Are you crazy?" she asked him. She watched as everyone ran off in the other direction, while he remained motionless as the dinosaur tramped nearer, eyeing them hungrily. She gulped nervously and took a deep, shaky breath. "I'll trust you on this one." She muttered. He nodded. "Good. Now whatever happens, don't move from this spot. Understand?"

"Yes." She replied.

The dinosaur snarled viciously and raised one savagely clawed arm to swing toward them. Behind them, the others started screaming.

"Kaiba, run!" Sonja heard Yugi shout.

"_Sonja!_" Sophie screamed shrilly. Sonja didn't move, but squeezed her eyes shut in preparation for the blow. The monster brought its terrible claws down toward them in a single sweep. Sonja felt something like static flow through her and then it was gone.

"Open your eyes, Sonja." Kaiba said. She did so. The dinosaur was moving away, the ground shaking as it went. "But…but what happened?" she asked, still stunned. Kaiba smirked. "That brat Noah can' intimidate me with cheap virtual illusions like this." He declared.

"So, that really was fake." Sonja said breathlessly. "Talk about a rush."

"This stuff's amateur." Kaiba scoffed.

Tea bent down to try to touch a flower. Her hand went right through it. "Huh. You're right." She said.

She looked up suddenly and a confused look spread on her face. "Huh? Kaiba? Did you just change your outfit or something?"

"Uh, that's not Kaiba." Yugi pointed out dryly. Tea screamed and flew backwards. "Woah!! You! He! But! I?"

"Relax!" Kaiba snapped. "It's a cheap copy. I used to create virtual clones of myself all the time to duel against." He said as they watched virtual Kaiba wander out of the bushes and into the clearing.

"Why duel yourself?" Joey wanted to know.

"Who better?"

A resounding thud echoed behind them and they all turned. Before them stood some sort of monster like a shogun.

"Where'd he come from?" Joey demanded.

"_Attention fools, it's time for us to demonstrate the new dueling rules."_

"What do you mean 'new rules'?"

_"We've created a new system of dueling especially for our tournament. Now pay attention and try to keep up. In our world, we play by a new set of rules called the 'Deck Master' system. So watch and learn as our virtual Kaiba battles Total Defense Shogun. First, each duelist must choose a deck master. Blue-Eyes will be virtual Kaiba's and Total Defense Shogun will act as his own Deck Master. Now, begin!" _

"_**For my first move, I summon Lord of Dragons!**_" virtual Kaiba declared. "_**And next, I activate The Flute of Summoning Dragon! This magic card allows me to summon two more Blue-Eyes White Dragons to the playing field! And now, I'll move my Deck Master to the center of the playing field." **_

__"Woah!" Joey cried. " Cyber Kaiba played three Blue-Eyes in one move!"

"So it looks like your Deck Master stands next to you until you decide to summon it to the playing field." Yugi said.

But virtual Kaiba' turn wasn't done. "_**Lastly, I'll use Polymerization to fuse my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons together, to form Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" **_

__"_As you can see," _Gansley said. "_Virtual Kaiba combined his Deck Master with three other dragons to form a creature that's virtually unstoppable. And thanks to his Deck Master's special ability, this new monster can attack immediately." _

_**"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, I command you to attack Total Defense Shogun directly!" **_

__As the white-hot attack hurtled toward Total Defense Shogun, Gansley began to speak again. _"Of course, since Total Defense Shogun is also a Deck Master, it has its own special ability. Total Defense Barrier!" _

A bright, polygonal barrier was suddenly erected out of nowhere, shielding the monster from the attack as it slammed into the force field.

_"It blocks the attack and reflects it right back!" _

The Neutron Blast from Ultimate Dragon was indeed stopped for maybe a millisecond and then, with a flash, it blasted back toward the dragon and its virtual owner. It sliced through the dragon, destroying it and allowing way to collide with the virtual Kaiba, destroying him also.

_Ta-ta, virtual Kaiba. Soon, that will happen to the real McCoy. You see, if your Deck Master's destroyed, you automatically lose the duel, regardless of Lifepoints. And when each of you loses a duel, one of us will take over your body!" _

"I've heard enough! I've defeated you white-collar has-beens once before and I can easily do it again! No matter what the rules are, I'll still take you down!"

The Big Five began to laugh again and once more, the virtual world began to shift and contort. Again, they found themselves flying through space time back toward the real world.

"Let us out of here!"

"_We've never even left this room, you fools." _Gansley sneered. "_But make no mistake, you kids aren't going anywhere for a long while. You're trapped. And the only way to escape is to defeat each of us in a virtual duel." _

"There's no way you're gonna get away with this, you stuffed shirts!" Mokuba snapped at them.

Sonja didn't know what to make of this.

"You five stiffs are going down!" Joey yelled.

"Hold on, guys!" Ta cried suddenly. "They never said which of us would actually have to duel!"

_"Heheh, good question kid." _Crump scoffed. "_Just to make sure you all suffer equally, we'll be dueling each and every one of you brats." _

"_Remember,"_ said Johnson. "_We need five bodies, so the first five of you to lose will have the honor of gaining our minds while yours stay trapped here." _

"In your dreams." Kaiba growled.

"_Ever since you destroyed our bodies, all we've had are our dreams, Mr. Kaiba. Until now. The time has come to make our dreams a reality, by escaping from this virtual abyss and leaving you here in our place for all eternity!" _

They all started to laugh triumphantly, as though they'd already won.

"_Our analysis shows your chances of escape are zero percent and falling sharply. In other words, you kids are finished!" _

_"Well put, Crump. It's only a matter of time before the five of us are set free from this virtual prison." _

Kaiba sighed in irritation. "These crooks haven't changed a bit." He growled.

"Lets' start this party! You five stiffs are going down!" Joey yelled again.

"_Who's going down?" _Gansley sneered as a hole opened up in the floor beneath Joey. Joey yelled once as he fell through, swallowed up afterwards. Serenity screamed. "Joey!"

_"As you can see, before the virtual dueling begins, we plan to separate all of you." _

"What?"

Another hole opened beneath Tea and she fell through, swallowed up like Joey. Then, it was Serenity. The hole she fell into widened as Duke and Tristan ran to help her, taking them too before closing.

Sophie, clung to Sonja's hand as another hole opened beneath her. But her grip slipped and she tumbled in, screaming. Sonja fell to her knees, shocked beyond belief. "Sophie!" she screamed desperately. "Sophie! Sophie!"

She jumped up. "Where is she? What did you creeps do to her?"

"_You'll soon find out!" _

Sonja shrieked as a hole appeared underneath her. "Help!" she cried.

"Sonja!" Kaiba yelled. At that moment, he and Mokuba disappeared as well, leaving only Yugi. He glared up at the Big Five. "What happened? Where did my friends go?" he yelled. But he fell into a hole identical to the others, tumbling into a virtual vortex.

Sonja screamed as she fell further and further down, ever wary of the fact that with The Big Five controlling all of this, she had no way of knowing where she'd end up.

A bright flash of light permeated her vision and she shut her eyes.

A/N: The whole virtual experience was a pain to write, so you may all recognize how the story's going. But don't skip it, I added a whole bunch of twists here and there. Hope you like.


	21. Separated and Alone

Separated and Alone

A/N: Okay, first monotonous chapter of the Virtual Nightmare fiasco. I'm actually just finishing up one of the last chapters in this story, so I'm really getting a lot of work done. Yay!

Sonja moaned and opened her eyes slowly. She distinctly heard the sound of waves beating on the shore somewhere. She sat up slowly and looked around. She'd been right about the water. But she realized with dismay that she'd somehow ended up on a rocky islet. She could see shore not too far off.

"Oh great." She muttered. She sighed and stared around her. Then, she stood up. "Sophie!" she called out. "Can you hear me? Hey, Sophie!"

But only her own voice met her ears as a cruel reminder of what had happened. She recalled The Big Five saying they were going to separate all of them. She wondered vaguely if maybe any of the others were nearby.

"Yugi!" she tried. "Tea, Joey! Seto! Mokuba! Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

Nothing.

"I guess I'm alone." She muttered. She scowled and clenched her fists. "Oh well. I can handle it. I've been alone more times in my life than most kids at school. C'mon, Sonja, figure this out. Get with it!"

Her determination lasted only a few seconds. "Actually, with Sophie around, I was never completely alone. So I suppose this is different."

She folded her arms and studied the water. It didn't look too deep, but she was curious as to whether she could actually swim in it. She had no way of knowing if it was a virtual sea that would destroy her the minute she touched it.

As a test, she scooped up a large rock, paused briefly to wonder how she could even feel it, and then hurled it into the water. It landed with a sharp plunk and she watched it sink to the bottom. Once the ripples cleared, she judged it to be about seven or eight feet deep here. Wading was out of the question. And she didn't see any virtual sea creatures like sharks or rays, so she figured it was safe to swim in. In reality, she had no other choice but to swim back to shore.

She sat down and removed her shoes, tying the laces together and then dangling them from her neck. She pulled her sweatshirt off and tied it around her neck as well. Then, she spent the next five minutes or so taking deep, expanding breaths to prepare herself. Finally, she felt ready, climbed down a few rocks and hesitated. She gingerly reached down and touched the water's surface. Her hand went right in. It felt kind of warm. "Weird." She muttered. "This place is virtual. I shouldn't be able to feel this."

She braced and then dove into the water. As soon as she sank beneath the waves, she screamed, expelling precious air as she climbed back toward the surface. The water felt like a thousand needles stinging her all at once and once she was under the water, she could see that it was much, much deeper than eight feet. As she turned to head back to the islet, she gasped when she saw that it was no longer there.

"Good grief." She mumbled. She turned and looked toward shore. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was still there. Slowly, she started a slow breaststroke in that direction. After ten minutes and about fifteen feet away from the shallow water, she paused for a second to rest. At the same time, she felt something touch her foot. Startled, she ducked under to see what it was. She felt her blood run cold when she saw the slender, red scaly creature slithering beneath her several feet down.

"Giant Red Sea Snake." She stammered. "Relax, Sonja. Just get to shore. It won't get you up on shore."

She continued at a steady pace, hoping what she knew about sharks applied to an aquatic duel monster.

Finally, she touched ground and pushed through the water, falling down on the sand. "Geez." She mumbled. "If that water was virtual, how come it was so dang cold?"

She lifted her head a ways to look at the water. There was no sign of the sea snake. She removed her shoes and sweatshirt and laid them out on the sand to dry. Then, she sat staring out at the horizon, wondering what to do next.

//ooo//

Kaiba stared around him irritably. He'd woken up not too long ago to find himself and his brother stranded in some virtual jungle of what seemed to be Noah's creation. But something about the entire setup seemed disturbingly familiar. But he couldn't quite place it.

"Hey Seto," Mokuba said suddenly. "What do you think happened to Sonja and Sophie?"

"I don't know." Kaiba replied. "Remember, they were separated, so they might be anywhere."

"Well, I hope we can at least find Sophie." Mokuba said. "She doesn't handle being away from Sonja too well."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaiba asked.

"She just gets weird. She kind of stops talking, like she's constantly worried or something. That's all."

Kaiba hummed, but didn't reply. "Lets' go."

"Hey, Seto." Mokuba said after awhile. "I know The Big Five want to use us to escape from this place, but what's the deal with that Noah, kid? I mean, who is he? I mean, what's he getting out of all this? Um, Seto, did you hear me? I was just wondering who Noah—"

"Yes, I heard your question, Mokuba. I have no answer. If I had to guess, I'd say that he wants what's mine. Just like everyone else, he wants to be as powerful as I am. What puzzles me the most is how he built this place. There's no way that little punk built a virtual universe on his own."

"Maybe The Big Five helped him." Mokuba threw out.

"Oh, I doubt it. Those old fools couldn't pull this off. Granted, it's only a cheap copy of the virtual technology I invented, but someone else is involved and I'll find them. It's only a matter of time."

"I'll help you, Seto. Come on!" Mokuba cried, running ahead.

They proceeded a short ways before Mokuba paused suddenly, puzzled.

"What's wrong, Mokuba?" Kaiba asked.

"I thought I heard something in the bushes." He said, pointing directly toward the trees in front of him. Kaiba eyed the shrubs suspiciously. "Stay back. With Noah behind the scenes, who knows what could be back there." He mumbled. He took a few cautious steps forward, trying to see past the bushes. Mokuba was right; there was something back there moving around.

"Who's there?" he chanced. "Show yourself!"

The bushes rustled slightly and a little turquoise head appeared. Mokuba gasped. "Sophie!" he exclaimed. Her eyes widened. "Mokuba! Mr. Kaiba! Finally, I found someone."

She stumbled out of the bushes and beamed up at them. "That's a relief. Have you seen Sonja?" she asked, looking around eagerly.

"No, we haven't." Mokuba answered. "But we found you, so that's one down."

"And seven to go." Kaiba mumbled. Mokuba looked back at Sophie. "You can come with us if you'd like. We're bound to run into her sooner or later."

"Thanks." Sophie said.

//ooo//

Sonja gazed around her in an attempt to figure out where she should go. She looked at both the forest to her left and the beach straight in front of her.

"Eeenie Meenie Miney Mo." She said, pointing at each one, starting with the beach. She frowned. "Mo's creepy. I'll go with Miney."

With that, she started off.

//ooo//

Sophie followed behind Mokuba as Kaiba led them through the dense forest. She wondered if he even had any idea of where he was going, but past lessons had taught her never to question a higher authority of any kind. Besides, she knew she could trust that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Mokuba paused suddenly. "Hey, Seto, what's that?" he asked, pointing forward. He took off all of a sudden. "It looks like a way out!"

Sophie hesitated before following them.

"Mokuba, slow down!" Kaiba called as he hurried after him.

Before them stood a door of some sort and Sophie could only stare at it curiously.

"We have to be careful." Kaiba warned, cautiously opening the door. A blinding light blared at them and as it faded, a new place came into view.

"Wait a sec." Mokuba said. "I know this place. It's the orphanage we grew up in. Who knew it was still around?"

"Orphanage?" Sophie questioned. "You mean, you guys are like us?"

"It's a trick, Mokuba." Kaiba replied, not hearing her. "A cheap virtual illusion like everything else. But how did Noah find out we once lived here?"

"Woah." Sophie muttered. They proceeded forward and the door closed behind them, disappearing as it went.

"I don't believe it." Mokuba said dejectedly. "I was hoping I'd never have to see this place again."

"I told you, Mokuba. This orphanage is just an illusion and nothing more."

"Well it still brings back bad memories." Mokuba muttered. "Why did we get sent there, anyway?"

"After our parents disappeared, there was no one left to take care of us. So we got dumped off here until they could find another family to take us in."

"Well, I'll never forget the day we first saw this place. It was the worst day of my entire life." Mokuba snapped. Sophie glanced at him concernedly.

"Welcome, boys."

All three turned around suddenly at the sound of a voice behind them. Sophie eyes widened.

"Someone's here, Seto." Mokuba said.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba exclaimed. "That's us! Somehow, Noah was able to tap into our memories and digitally replay events from our past!"

The image changed and they spotted a lone little figure sitting by himself on a swing not too far away. Sophie recognized the little boy as a younger version of Mokuba, maybe around six or seven years old.

"That's you, Mokuba?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah." He said disbelievingly.

"You look so sad." Sophie remarked grimly.

As they watched, seemingly unnoticed by anyone around them, another boy approached. "Hey, Moki." What looked like a younger version of Kaiba said. Younger Mokuba looked up, surprised. "Hey, Seto. How'd you know I was out here?"

"Lucky guess. Look, pal, cheer up. We gotta make the most of this place. Come on, Moki. Lets' take a little walk."

The scene faded from view as another started to take its place. This time, it showed the younger brothers walking on a deserted street. "Okay, spill it. What's on your mind?" the younger Kaiba asked.

"I miss mom and dad." The younger Mokuba said sadly. "I wish that they were here with us right now. It's not fair that they left us here all alone."

"Come on, no crying. Tears aren't going to help us, now. There's only one way you and are going to make it through this. We've got to get tough. Emotions are only going to get in the way of our survival."

"Tough." Younger Mokuba said, trying the word out.

"That's right. Don't expect anyone to help us ever again. You and I are on our own, now."

"I guess that was your idea of a pep talk." Mokuba muttered. "Thanks a lot."

"Um…." Sophie said. "Mr. Kaiba, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Um, don't be offended or anything, but is that really what you thought back then? What you just said?"

"Yeah. What about it?" Kaiba grumbled.

"Well, that's not right. I mean, Sonja and I were alone too, but whenever she could, Sonja always tried to get help for us when we needed it the most. Sometimes, she got really hurt because of it but she always kept trying. And sometimes, it paid off for her."

Sophie smiled wistfully all of a sudden. "I remember once, she asked an old lady in Nagano for help and she gave us a couple of cupcakes for the road." She recalled. She giggled. "I can't believe I still remember that."

Kaiba just stared at her.

//ooo//

Sonja meanwhile, was experiencing her own troubles. She was currently wedged inside a rocky crevice while Hitotsu-me Giants clawed at the cliffs around her. She growled in irritation, picked up a rock and hurled it through the opening, smacking one of them in the eye. "Buzz off!" she screamed. That particular one howled in agony and dashed off, leaving its angered comrades to finish the job. Sonja sighed, resting her head on the rocky wall. "I sure hope the others are having as much fun as I am." She mumbled.

//ooo//

Back with Sophie and the brothers, the scene had changed yet again and they found themselves back at the orphanage. This time, they were watching the younger versions of the brothers playing a chess game.

"Sorry, Moki. Checkmate." Younger Kaiba said.

"Again? And in just five moves this time! You're like, the best chess-player in the whole entire world!"

"Well, almost."

"Oh yeah? Name one person who's better at chess than you." Mokuba challenged.

"You if you'd just concentrate."

"Okay. Lets' play again."

Sophie smiled. "You're gonna get mad at me, but it's worth it to point out how cute you were then." She said to Kaiba. Kaiba scowled at her. "Shut up, Sophie." He growled. Even Mokuba had a hard time not laughing.

The new game started up and younger Kaiba moved a pawn into position. "Your move, Moki." He said.

"Okay, I'll move, here."

Suddenly, a broadcast aired on the old television set behind them, Younger Kaiba turned to watch it.

"_And he did it once again, folks. Gozuborou Kaiba has retained his title as the world chess champion. The corporate genius and six-time champion is a master strategist who has never once lost a single match. He maintains his claim that there is not a person alive who can defeat him. But make no mistake, this outspoken business tycoon has a heart of gold. Here he is donating a portion of his winnings to a local orphanage. I'm sure he just made a lot of children very happy." _

Kaiba frowned when he heard this again. _That was the day that changed my life forever. The day that I met my stepfather for the first time. _

For a few seconds, the image blacked out and a new one came into view showing a black limo pulling up in front of the orphanage. A somewhat intimidating-looking man stepped out. Sophie instantly recognized him.

"It's that guy from the news broadcast." She said.

"That's our stepfather, Sophie." Mokuba said.

"Woah." Was all she could say.

"It's just a cheap virtual projection. That's all. 'Cause he's long gone." Kaiba said.

"You know, you sound like you're in denial." Sophie mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing."

The director of the home led Gozuborou Kaiba away. "Well sir, the children are this way. They'll be thrilled to meet you."

"Look, I don't want any of these brats touching me. Lets' just take a few pictures for the papers and I'll be on my way. Time is money, you know. What's that stench? You do bathe these little urchins, don't you?"

"I don't like him." Sophie snapped. "What made him pick you guys?" she asked Kaiba.

"Just watch." Was his only reply. A door they'd passed opened up and the younger versions of the brothers looked out.

"That guy is our ticket out of this dump, Moki." Younger Kaiba said determinedly.

"But how? He's just here to visit. Not to adopt anyone."

"I'll make sure he takes us."

"What? How?"

"Just follow me and do what I say, bro."

"Fine."

He stared after the man. "All right, Gozuborou. It's time to match wits with me and lose at your own game."

A little later, Gozuborou, in the company of the director was heading back to the front entrance. Younger Kaiba stepped outside and blocked their path. "Good afternoon, Mr. Kaiba." He said politely. Gozuborou stared down at him with contempt. "Yeah, I suppose. If you'll excuse me, kid. I'm in a rush."

"I have a challenge for you and I know you never pass one up."

"Hm. Yes, go on."

"Here's what I propose. One game of chess, me against you. If I win, you adopt my brother and me today, no questions asked."

"Humph!" Gozuborou scoffed. He chuckled and then his eyes narrowed. "No one beats me at chess, kid. And I've been playing it for years. I was a world champion when you were sucking your thumb. You're in over your head, kid. What makes you think you can beat me?"

"Because I never lose either." He replied confidently. "So what do you say?"

"Well, you've certainly got a great deal of confidence in yourself. I have to give you credit for that. But I'm a busy man and babysitting for you isn't on my schedule."

"So that means you're gonna back down? Wait till the newspapers find out you're scared of a kid!"

"What?" Gozuborou cried. "You wouldn't dare tell them that! I've got a reputation to uphold, you brat! All right, then. Lets' play, kid. One match, one chance only."

By this time, younger Kaiba looked quite triumphant. "That's all I need." He said.

Gozuborou turned to the disgruntled director. "Set us up in a quiet room, now!" he ordered,

"Yes, right." The man said quickly.

"Lets' get this game over with." Gozuborou grumped.

"Pretty impressive for a twelve-year-old." Kaiba said as they went to the window to watch the game in progress.

"You were kinda scary even then." Sophie mumbled quietly.

"You're really pushing your luck, kid." Kaiba muttered.

"What made you so sure you were going to beat Gozuborou, Seto?" Mokuba asked.

"Simple. My desire to win that game was far greater than his, Mokuba. By challenging Gozuborou, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. To him it was just a game."

Inside, the board was set up and the players ready to begin.

"This won't take very long, junior." Gozuborou taunted.

"Those were my thoughts exactly, pops." Younger Kaiba backfired. "It's your move."

"After you. You'll need all the help you can get." Gozuborou said mockingly.

"Pawn to E-3." Younger Kaiba began.

"Humph. That's _my _opening move, kid." Gozuborou said, making an identical move.

"I know. I've studied all your matches." Younger Kaiba answered.

"Studying is one thing. Mastering is another."

Within five moves, it was becoming clear who the dominant player was. And even Gozuborou was starting to see that it wasn't him.

Finally, younger Kaiba made one more move. "Bishop to B-6. Checkmate! You lose."

"No! How could you beat me?" Gozuborou cried in disbelief.

"Now you have to adopt us like you promised, Mr. Kaiba."

"That was the day I took control of my future." Kaiba said grimly.

"Yeah? Well it was also the day you stopped calling me 'Moki'." Mokuba grumbled.

"If it wasn't for me, we never would have escaped that rat-hole. I turned our lives around, that day."

Both Kaiba and Sophie turned as Mokuba headed for the door all of a sudden. "Hey! Come back, now!" Kaiba snapped.

"I like the way it was before we got here!" Mokuba exclaimed. "At least back then, you actually smiled once in awhile."

"Wait a second, Mokuba." Kaiba said carefully. "Get a grip, please. You're going to fall right into Noah's trap. He's using these illusions to turn us against each other. It's fake. The past is over."

Here, Mokuba seemed to falter for a second. Then, he scowled and whipped the door open. As he did, a powerful wind ripped out from inside. Instead of the classroom, there was an enormous cavern right below his feet and he started to fall in. The rocks beneath him crumbled and fell into the raging waves far below.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba yelled.

As he fell, Kaiba lunged forward and grabbed his hand, struggling to pull him back up. Sophie froze for a second, whined and then reached down to help. She grabbed Kaiba's wrist because she couldn't reach Mokuba. Kaiba glanced at her a second and then returned his gaze to his brother.

"Don't let go!" Mokuba cried.

"Don't look down." Kaiba replied.

"Too late!"

Finally, Kaiba was able to pull him up a little more. Sophie grabbed Mokuba's arm and helped in the last tug to get him safely back on the ground. Sophie sat near him while he tried to get his breath back as Kaiba stood up, deeply disturbed.

"This place is more dangerous than I thought." He said. "Somehow, Noah has accessed virtual software that can replicate the sensation of touch. I know you can hear me, Noah! You won't get away with this, you little twerp!"

"I thought we had the latest virtual software, Seto." Mokuba said. "But this place feels more real than any cyber environment I've ever felt in my entire life."

"Easy for you to say." Sophie muttered.

"I don't know what kind of game Noah's playing, but it's not duel monsters. That punk. He doesn't know who he's up against. You hear that Noah? You'll never succeed! I'll make sure of it!"

Mokuba stood up and looked at his brother.

"Mokuba," Kaiba said. "No matter what see or hear from this point forth, I want you to realize that the past is over. And I may not be proud of every decision I made, but remember that everything I did, I did it for us. So we'd have a better life. Now, lets' move ahead. And don't look back."

"Okay." Mokuba replied. He looked at Sophie. "Still there?" he asked with a smile. Sophie nodded. "I sure am."

They headed away from the cliff. Sophie lagged behind, somewhat. She was still worried.

"Um, Mr. Kaiba?"

"What is it, Sophie?" Kaiba answered, pausing. After seeing what had almost happened to his brother, he felt even more compelled to protect Sophie too.

"Do you think Sonja's okay?"

Kaiba hesitated. She would want to hear yes, that she was. But he honestly had no idea how Sonja would deal with this virtual environment. Unlike himself and Mokuba, she had absolutely no experience with it whatsoever. He decided to be truthful.

"Sophie, I'm sure that wherever Noah sent her, she's strong enough to handle it." He said. "Your sister isn't weak, so she should be just fine."

He half-heartedly emphasized 'should'. But this reassured Sophie. She smiled in relief. "Okay."

A little while later, they were still near the cliff edge, but it seemed to go on for miles. All three of them were quickly becoming rather bored with the new scenery.

Suddenly, Sophie gasped and hurried past them. "I see something!" she called over her shoulder. "Come on! I think it's another doorway!"

"Sophie, wait up!" Mokuba yelled. They ran after her and found her about twenty yards away. It was indeed another doorway. She was staring at it.

"Should we go in?" she asked.

"What choice do we have?" Mokuba answered. Kaiba cautiously stepped forward and grasped the handle, pulling it open. Another blazing white light blinded them as they stepped through the doorway.

When the light faded, Sophie drew a sharp breath. "Good grief." She mumbled in shock. "I don't believe it. I simply don't believe it."

A/N: I hope you're all enjoying the book. I would like to thank DragonicWarrior and The Duelist's Heiress for all of their support throughout this story. I hope you liked this new chapter. I'm sorry that you all probably recognize most of this story from the show. Next chapter will be different. Promise.


	22. Clash with The Past

A/N: Here's the next update!!! This chapter's a little shorter than the others, but It's still good, I'm sure. I hope you enjoy it!

Clash with The Past

The doorway had led them to what appeared to be a backyard. But on closer inspection, it looked like a giant yard shared by several houses.

"It's a housing development. I think." Mokuba said.

"No. Worse." Sophie whined. "It's the townhouse Sonja and I lived in with our parents."

"What?" Kaiba exclaimed. "Great. Noah wasn't satisfied with tormenting us. Now he's targeting you and Sonja."

"Do you think we'll see what happened to you guys?" Mokuba asked her.

"I hope not. But I can tell you what this place is. The segment behind us with the rhododendrons in front of it was ours. We shared this big yard with the other families living here."

She turned and headed toward the glass door. She peered inside. "This is it, all right. I recognize the old coffee table dad brought home from a garage sale. The one with the paint splatters on it that mom always hated. Our kitchen had this door so you could get outside."

She grasped the doorknob, but as she did, her hand went right through the glass. "Oh!"

"Looks like we can go inside this one." Mokuba pointed out. Kaiba held him back and tested it himself. He effortlessly walked right through the glass door and nodded to them to follow.

He immediately noticed that the kitchen wasn't empty. There was a woman standing at the stove and humming a Christmas carol. She turned to put something in the sink by the window. Kaiba approached. His eyes narrowed. He knew she couldn't see or hear him. But he could see the familiar eye color and facial structure she had. He knew right off the bat that he was looking at Sonja's mother. She had long chocolate brown hair instead of white, so he figured Sonja hadn't gotten that from her.

Behind them, there was a sharp _thud_ and a little girl with turquoise hair in an oversized T-shirt stumbled in. She looked up at her mother and giggled.

"Sophie, you're such a silly goose." She laughed. "Are you hungry?"

Sophie sat up with difficulty in the swampy shirt. "Yes." She said.

"Where's your sister?"

"Coming!" they heard someone call. Kaiba quickly looked toward the door as a tall man with snowy white hair and blue eyes entered the kitchen followed by a young girl about ten or eleven. Kaiba's eyes widened when he saw the pure snow-white hair tied into a short ponytail on the top of her head and the oak colored eyes.

"Sonja." He said.

"That's my sister back when she was still happy." Sophie muttered sadly. They both glanced at her curiously.

The man approached his wife, kissed her and turned to his daughters. "How'd they do today, Isabelle." He asked quietly.

"Very good. They're handling it better than I expected." Isabelle, their mother said. Kaiba detected a great deal of sadness in her voice and he wondered what was wrong.

"I'm making their favorite for dinner tonight. I figure we should do everything we can to keep them happy. I don't want this to linger on them, Damon."

He put his hand on his wife's shoulder comfortingly. "I'll do my best. I'm going to do something special and take them miniature golfing tomorrow. That might help."

Isabelle looked doubtful. "I don't know. That was always a favorite."

Damon frowned. "I'll think of something."

He whirled and snatched Sonja up, throwing her over his shoulder as she screamed and laughed at the same time. "Daddy! Put me down! I'm scared!" she yelled, still grinning.

"You're my prisoner!" Damon roared playfully. "You'll never escape!"

As he said this, he purposefully loosened his grip and she squirmed away, running toward the living room, dragging Sophie along with her.

"No!" Damon yelled, hurrying after them. "I said you'd never escape! Hey!"

"Slowpoke!" Sonja yelled from the next room.

Isabelle laughed and turned back to her cooking. Then, she sighed heavily. "Oh, please don't let them be burdened by this." She choked. She looked out the window. "Especially Sonja."

Kaiba wondered about this.

"Come on." Sophie said. She led them through the house and past Damon, now reading a novel on the sofa. She started up the stairs and down a hallway to their right. She paused at the room at the end of the hall. Inside, they could see Sonja struggling to open the window.

"Stupid thing always—there!" she exclaimed as it finally opened. She picked Sophie up and put her on the bed beneath the window for her to look out.

"It's nice and cool, now." Sonja said.

"Yeah!" Sophie replied. Sonja sat down on the bed and sighed.

Suddenly, something flew in through the window and landed on the floor, splattering water everywhere. Sonja stared angrily, got up and looked out. "Arika!" she yelled. "Quit it with the water balloons!"

"Aw, come on, Sonni. We need a first base for our game."

"Don't you mean first baseman?" Sonja grumbled.

"No, I mean first base. That mop of yours would be just perfect!"

Sonja slammed the window shut and dragged Sophie away from it. "We're not going outside today, sis." She growled.

"Aww." Sophie whined.

Sonja dragged her sister back downstairs, leaving her unnoticed guests to wonder.

"Who was Arika?" Mokuba asked.

"The neighborhood bully. She had this little gang and they always picked on us." Sophie said with a shrug.

The scene before them faded and another appeared. This showed them in the same room, but it was dark except for the hall-light on through the cracked door. Kaiba could see Sophie in the small bed on the other side of the room, buried deep in her Disney blanket. On the bed near them, he could see Sonja propped up on her elbow, white hair down, tracing the creases in the sheet with her finger. She glanced up at the sound of voices downstairs and threw her blanket back, creeping out toward the door. They followed as she crept down the hall to the top of the stairs, listening to what her parents were saying. She placed her hand on the banister and held still.

"_Damon, I don't care what it takes, you know him well enough to predict what he'll do next." _

_"I can't stop him. That's the horrible part." _

_"Well, you have to try something, or we'll lose Sonja too. I can't bear to have him take another one away from me." _

Isabelle started to cry.

"Hey, Sophie. What are they talking about?" Mokuba asked. Sophie shook her head. "I don't know. You'd have to ask Sonja." She said.

_"If I have to, I'll go to the authorities. I don't want to lose either one of them, but for the moment, it's Sonja he's after." _

_"Well, he won't have her. You know darn well what that menace will do to her. Besides, the police have tried to get him, but they just aren't good enough." _

_"Isabelle, I'm doing everything I can. At this point, all we can do is hide them." _

_"But he's coming tomorrow! What are we going to do?" _

Damon sighed. _"I'll think of something. I promise." _

Here, Sonja closed her eyes, stood up and returned to her room.

Once again, the scene changed. This time, it showed the girls' room again, however, there was something wrong. Assorted objects were flying out of the closet at a rapid speed and Kaiba could hear loud voices downstairs. He recognized Sonja as she appeared from inside the closet, clutching a small black backpack and wearing a blue sweatshirt that swamped her completely. She ran over to Sophie's bed, snatched her up and moved to her side of the room. She set her down on her bed as she struggled with the window. "Please, don't stick on me, now." She begged. The window slid open with a squeak and she grabbed Sophie around the waist, jumping out the window onto the roof below. She heaved the window shut and ducked out of sight as her door was busted open. Two men wearing ski caps entered the room, scanning the tiny area. "Look everywhere." One of them snapped. "Remember, boss wants the older girl. Just kill the little one."

"No!" Kaiba heard someone scream. It was Isabelle. She threw herself inside and grabbed the coat of the first man. "Don't kill my babies! Please, don't kill them!"

"Shut up!" the man roared, smacking her away. She crumpled against the wall, sinking to the floor and sobbing. The men threw the dresser aside, smashing it to bits. One of them tipped Sophie's bed over and the other did the same to Sonja's. They ripped the closet apart, but found nothing.

"They aren't here!" one of them yelled.

"Check the window." The other grumped.

At that moment, however, there was a sharp thudding on the front door. "_Open up! This is the police!" _

"Guys!" someone yelled from downstairs. "Everything's in place and all cleaned up! Get out!"

"But we can't find the girls." One man replied.

"Oh screw it. We'll find 'em later. How far are a couple of stupid girls gonna get, anyway? They're probably sitting in a dumpster crying their eyes out."

They started to leave. Isabelle leapt up and attacked the smaller one. "Leave us alone!" she screamed. She was clearly delirious from everything that had happened that night. The man snarled and shoved her backward. She shrieked and cracked her head against the corner of the shattered dresser. She fell limp on the floor, seemingly unconscious. Kaiba by this time, was mortified. He looked toward the window, but Sonja was gone.

The scene faded.

"After that, Sonja somehow got us into town. For the next year or so, we lived on the streets, eating whatever we could find. Sometimes, Sonja had to steal from fruit stands."

As Sophie spoke, another more scene came into view. It showed a darkened alleyway with a little girl hunched over in the far end of it. Her turquoise colored hair was scraggly and unkempt. She sniffled faintly and looked up. Someone was approaching. Kaiba could easily tell that this life was extremely hard for them. Sonja already looked much older than she had in the previous visions. She wore a faded brown coat and blue jeans with several patches on them. She had a banana and two oranges in her hands. Her long white hair was tied back and almost gray. Her once cheerful oak eyes were now worn-looking and dimmed. She sat down next to her sister and peeled the banana. She handed her the larger half and nibbled her own slowly.

"Did you steal these, Sonja?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah. What about it?"

"You didn't get hit again, did you?"

"The lady whacked me with an umbrella. Thought I was a boy." Sonja said. She chuckled. "Tell me, what kind of a boy has hair this long?" she asked, lifting her ponytail up. Sophie laughed. "I haven't seen any." She admitted. Sonja smiled. "Good. Shows there's still some sanity left in this rotten world."

She peeled the oranges and handed one to Sophie. Sophie wolfed hers down in a heartbeat and tried to ignore Sonja still holding hers. Sonja contemplated it for a minute and then handed Sophie the rest of the orange. Sophie hesitated. "Go on." Sonja said. "You need the sugar more than I do and we have a long way to go, yet."

"Where are we going to go, Sonja?" Sophie asked.

Sonja frowned. "I was thinking, maybe America." She said. "If we can get there, then they won't follow us. At least, that's what I'm hoping."

"How are we going to get there?"

"Well, I doubt two thousand yen is enough to get a plane ticket. But, I'll figure something out. Now, lets' get moving before that evil lady find us."

As they left the alley, the scene faded again.

Kaiba remained unsure of what he thought now. So Sonja had been targeted for kidnap when she was younger as far as he could see. But why? That was all he wanted to know.

The image changed one more time and this time, it showed a bedroom shrouded in darkness with a four-poster bed in the corner and a small dresser on the other side, but nothing else in the room. In the window seat, bathed in moonlight, Sonja could been seen sitting and leaning against the wall, her knees folded up beneath her white nightgown. She was the picture of a silent ghost in the night. She stared out at the black sky, her eyes faraway from her body. She turned abruptly as the door opened and Sophie stepped inside, clothed in a similar nightgown. Kaiba could see they were both somewhat older. Sonja looked about fourteen.

"Sis?" Sophie said quietly. "He scares me."

Sonja patted the seat beside her and Sophie climbed up. Sonja enveloped her in a hug and sighed. "I know. He scares me too. But don't worry. I've almost got enough. It took so much out of me, but I'll soon have enough to get us away from this horrible place. I promise, we'll have a new life somewhere else."

"You promise?"

Sonja smiled faintly. "Yeah."

She crossed her chest with her index finger in the shape of an X. "Cross my heart."

Sophie smiled and did the same and touched her finger to Sonja's. "Now it's binding." She declared. "You can't break it."

"Right."

They fell silent for a moment. Then Sophie cleared her throat. "Um, sis? Can I sleep in here with you, tonight?"

"You need to ask? Of course you can." Sonja replied.

The scene darkened and Kaiba found that he, Sophie and Mokuba were back on the cliff. He wasn't sure what to make of what he'd just seen. He only knew that Sonja was hiding a lot more than she let on.

//ooo//

Sonja had gone a long ways in the past hour. She was taking a rest on a small rocky hill overlooking a desert of some kind. She was trying to find the courage to go further. She had hoped to come across some of the others by now. But after having been marooned on a rocky islet and wandering for two hours in this desert after leaving the beach behind, she doubted that she was going to find them anytime soon.

She stood up and sighed. Below her lay a shallow ravine. Exploring had always been her weak point. Besides, what harm could it do to enjoy this place a little, even if it was controlled by a psycho little kid? She had to admit, the scenery was pretty cool. Everything was so real.

She started down toward the ravine, unaware of the possible dangers it might hide.

A/N: So what did you think? A little revelation of what happened to them, eh? But that's not even half of it! Keep reading to find out!!


	23. Disturbing Familiarity

A/N: This chapter's one of my longest yet, so be prepared. This whole virtual bit was one of many scenes I had to rewrite when the story was deleted and I always hated it. But I hope you enjoy it, now that it's finally finished. By the way, there's a lot of time skipping here, so I hope you don't mind. I skipped past the more tedious duels.

Disturbing Familiarity

Several eventful hours had passed and Kaiba was madder than ever. He now traveled through a dusty wasteland alone, having left Sophie behind with Yugi and his friends after hearing Noah's story about Gozuborou being his father. Mokuba had been kidnapped by Nesbit controlling the body of Tristan. When Kaiba had tried to follow him, he'd literally almost run into Lector and was forced to duel. He'd won, of course, but at the price of losing Nesbit's trail. Now, Mokuba had been tricked into believing Noah's lies about him and was lost somewhere in this virtual prison.

He now had an idea of who Noah was, but he was back where he started in asking why and how. He knew he was missing something. He only had to find out what it was and the whole thing would be cleared up. For him, at least.

Despite how he felt about the little group, he felt a twinge of guilt about leaving them to deal with The Big Five. He knew they were going to have a hard time to say the least and he hated them just as much as they did. However, he knew he had to find Mokuba.

He also had to find Sonja. He'd grown a little concerned when he saw that she wasn't with the group. That could only mean she'd been particularly well isolated in this place. Who knew where she was by now?

He turned and scanned the horizon. Sonja and Mokuba. Two people he had to find, and soon.

//ooo//

Sonja stayed within the shade at the bottom of the little chasm. For a virtual world, the sun was pretty hot and she burned easily due to her pale complexion, so she stayed clear when she could.

"I wonder where I am." She said aloud. It had been relatively close to three hours since their entrapment in this virtual world. She hoped the gang was okay.

"I wonder why I haven't found them, yet." She mumbled.

She peered up to the cliff tops , shading her eyes from the glare of the sun. "Maybe exploring this ravine wasn't the best idea." She said to herself. She turned back to continue, hoping to find another way out.

As she picked her way along the rocks, she looked up and gasped.

"Mokuba!" she exclaimed in surprise. She slid the rest of the way down and stopped a few feet away from him. She smiled in relief. "You're okay. Where's everyone else?" she asked.

But he didn't answer. He had a strange look in his eyes, and they started to glow red all of a sudden in the pupils. "My brother, Noah doesn't want you." He said, his voice strangely distant.

"What the—? What are you talking about?" she asked nervously, stepping away from him. He pulled a card from his pocket. "Man-Eater Bug." He said. The card started to glow brightly as a giant insect-like creature stamped out. Sonja swallowed. "Uh-oh."

"Get her." Mokuba commanded. "Don't let her escape."

Sonja backed away quickly, terrified. "Mokuba, what the heck are you doing? You can't sic this monster on me! It's me, Sonja!"

In a flash of light, Mokuba vanished, leaving Sonja to deal with the vicious Man-Eater Bug, whose special ability just happened to be destroying any monster on the playing field when it's revealed. Since Sonja was the only living thing around, obviously, it started toward her. It snarled angrily, snapping its ferocious jaws in anticipation. Sonja whirled and scrambled back over the rocks, loosening as many as she could in hopes of slowing its progress. She jumped down and dashed off over the rocky landscape, hearing the horrible footfalls of the creature as it pursued her.

"This is only a game." She told herself. "This is only a game!"

She glanced back at the monster. "Oh jeez. Game or not, that's a little too real for me, thanks!"

She tried to zigzag a little, hoping to throw it off. She was dismayed to see that by running a straight line, the creature was easily keeping up without losing as much energy by trying to follow her pattern. And it was quickly gaining.

Sonja swerved suddenly to the right, heading for the cliff side. She grabbed a rock jutting out from the side and heaved herself up, pushing with her legs against the natural footholds the cliff provided. She slowly ascended the face of the cliff this way, getting about six feet off the ground by the time the monster reached the base. It roared up at her in anger and she paused to catch her breath. "Well, sorry. No Sonja for lunch today." She called down to it. "I'll give you credit for trying, though."

She continued up the rock wall until she reached the top. Here, she took the time to rest a bit and catch her breath again.

As she prepared to stand up and continue on, the ground started to rumble beneath her feet and she heard the roars of the insect behind her. She slowly turned around, just in time to see the monstrous claws and horrific face appear over the edge, snarling at her voraciously.

"Oh, come on!" Sonja yelled in frustration. Her whole body shaking from sudden exertion, she pushed herself into a fast run, hoping to gain some distance before it managed to reach the top.

//ooo//

Kaiba took the time he had to climb the stone staircase he'd come across the think about what he should do next. Finding Mokuba was definitely top priority and taking care of Noah came next. He only had to figure out where to start and he'd be able to complete his mission easily.

A sudden commotion on the desert below caught his attention and he turned. It was some sort of duel monster attacking a large rock formation below. It looked like a Man-Eater Bug, a weak monster and apparently, not too bright either. It was a made-up creature, so what would it be trying to eat for one thing and what could possibly be in that formation that it would want to eat, anyway?

With one last strike of the enormous claw, the rocks shattered on one side. He frowned as it started to scrape at the fallen debris, hurling rocks away as it went. He could hear its angry snarls from his position a quarter of a mile away.

Suddenly, something erupted from the rock pile and took off in the opposite direction. The creature immediately abandoned the pile and charged after it. Kaiba strained his eyes to see what it was the thing was chasing. A glimmer of white caught his eye and he started down the side of the mountain, trying to get a better look.

He was on a ledge directly above the clamor when he saw what the creature was chasing. He gasped in shock.

"Sonja!"

For a second, he could only watch as she turned sharply to avoid the monster's swipe at her. In the process, she must have turned her ankle and fallen, because she suddenly collapsed and lay motionless as the monster bore down on her. Kaiba quickly drew a card, his Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which he kept on the top of the deck for some confidence. He placed it on the duel disk.

"I summon, Blue Eyes White Dragon!" he called. His dragon appeared with a challenging roar and stood beside him.

"Destroy that Man-Eater Bug!" he ordered. The dragon took off from the cliff edge and hurtled toward the monster.

//ooo//

Sonja was tiring fast. That stupid insect wouldn't stop chasing her and she knew her only chance was to make it to the rocky mountain several meters away. She made a break to the right and as she did, her foot went straight into a hole in the ground. She lost her balance and fell, stunned.

The monster had continued to a run a small distance, but stopped and started back when it saw she'd fallen. She sat up, shaking out of fear and weariness. She could only watch as that horrible set of claws, combined with the gnashing teeth prepared to tear her apart.

Just as it raised its claw to strike, something enormous and bluish white swooped into her vision and snatched up the monster in its fearsome jaws. The insect struggled briefly before the teeth enclosing it snapped together, destroying it in a shower of holographic shards. Sonja stared in total bewilderment at the enormous creature standing before her. It turned and lowered its head to peer down at her curiously. It made a deep snuffing noise and nudged her gently with its snout, like it was testing her.

"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon." She said. She heard someone approaching as she felt herself drifting to sleep from exhaustion, still staring at the dragon.

//ooo//

Sonja awoke with a jolt to find herself leaning against a rock in the shadow of the mountain. She sat up and looked around. The dragon was gone. In its place, standing several feet away, stood a rather familiar figure, facing away from her. He turned around. "About time." He grumbled.

"Seto!" she exclaimed. "What happened? Where's the dragon I saw?"

"I called it back after it destroyed the Man-Eater Bug that was chasing you." He said bluntly. "For a hologram, it seemed rather fond of you." He said wryly.

"Ah, I should have known. You're the only one I know who possesses one of the legendary Blue-Eyes cards." She said. "Thanks."

He just hummed in reply. "You were asleep for about a half an hour. Lets' get going. We don't have much time."

"Sorry. That chase wore me out." She said, standing up. "Why didn't you just wake me up? I only fainted."

But he refused to reply.

"Come on." He said after a few minutes. Sonja hesitated. "Um, wait, how'd I get over here, then? I thought I was in the middle of the desert over that way." She said, pointing out toward the horizon. Kaiba turned. Sonja looked away. "You moved me over here, didn't you?" she said.

"What about it?" he snapped. "Cut the nonsense and lets' go."

Sonja shrugged and followed after him, glad to have at least found someone she knew in this freaky world.

"I wonder where everyone else is." She said.

"Back a ways battling the Big Five." Kaiba replied monotone.

"What?" Sonja exclaimed. "Great. Hey, have you seen Sophie?"

"I left her with Yugi and the others." He said.

"Oh gee, thanks." She snapped. "You would have to be the first person I find in this crazy place."

He started back the way he'd gone previously. Sonja figured she couldn't do much else besides follow.

"Sonja," he said after awhile. By this time, they'd gone quite a ways up the mountain. "I'd like to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"Exactly what happened to your parents the night you and Sophie ran away?"

She froze in step, eyes wide and face deathly pale. "Wha…what did you just say?" she stammered.

"I asked you what happened the night you took Sophie and left your home." He repeated. He could see she was in shock.

"How'd you know that's what happened?"

"Noah decided to tap into our memories. Not only did Sophie find out what happened to Mokuba and myself, but we saw who you were before you became what you are today."

Sonja seemed paralyzed, staring at the ground in a daze. She scowled suddenly. "I'm gonna…agh!" she stomped further up the trail, muttering to herself. "How could he…I mean…what the heck was he…ugh." She sighed, sitting down on a rock and continuing to stare blankly. "Great. This is just perfect." She grumbled. "I go through all the trouble I've been in for the last fourteen years and look!"

"Sonja, calm down. I still don't understand the entire situation, anyway." He said.

"It doesn't matter. You saw that I ran away. That's all that counts. And the fact that I took Sophie along doesn't help."

"Your parents were talking about something affecting you and Sophie." He pointed out. "They said they didn't want whatever it was to linger on you."

Here, she grew extremely bitter looking. "Listen here, Seto Kaiba." She snapped. "What happened to me isn't important and it's over and done with! That's final! What I went through to get us where we are is none of your business and it's in your best interests to forget all about it!"

"Fine. But hear this, I intend to find out." He said ominously.

"Good luck. You'll need it." She backfired.

The rest of the climb was spent in silence. Kaiba knew he'd treaded a little too deeply into forbidden ground. She clearly didn't want anyone to know what had happened. Whatever had happened.

Finally, the top of the mountain came into view. What appeared to be a stone pathway surrounded by pillars stretched out before them.

"Looks like ruins." She said.

Kaiba didn't reply. He continued forward, as though pulled in that direction.

"Um, what are you looking for up here?" she asked.

At the very edge of the rocky peak, thick white mists could be seen below. It was almost impossible to see through them.

Almost.

Kaiba's eyes widened suddenly. "What? It can't be! That building!" he exclaimed. Sonja looked down and sure enough, some sort of structure stood far below them.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's my design! But I've never shown those blueprints to anyone! How could Noah have recreated it? Who is this kid?" he yelled.

"You designed that?" she said.

"Come on." He snapped, starting down the path toward the area where he he'd seen his design.

//ooo//

"Well, it's better than that desert." Sonja said once they'd finally arrived.

"This doesn't make any sense." Kaiba grumbled.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"It's a virtual copy of the Duel Monsters theme park I designed." Kaiba replied. "There's no way Noah could have known about this."

He continued on toward the center of the park.

"The blueprints for Kaiba Land are top secret and construction wasn't scheduled to begin for another four years."

"Think of it this way." Sonja said. "At least now you know that your plans look great once put together."

"You're too optimistic." He grumbled.

He headed around the back of the main building until he reached what appeared to be a loading dock. "Every detail." He mumbled. "They even included my backstage security system."

It was a chess board with pieces already strategically aligned. He lifted one of the white knights and moved into position to the left, in checkmate to the black king.

_"Checkmate. Access to restricted area granted." _

"Maybe I'll get some answers in here."

He glanced back at Sonja. "Are you coming or not?"

"Yeah." She said quickly. He stepped inside and was quickly swallowed up by the inky darkness. Sonja glanced back and then hurried after him.

Inside the building was empty and dark. Sonja was barely able to see in front of her and accidentally walked into Kaiba when he stopped suddenly.

"Watch it!"

"I can't help it! It's too dark!"

"For once I agree with you. But I can still see there's absolutely nothing in here. Looks like Noah didn't have enough imagination to fill this place with anything." He said. He whirled all of a sudden. "It's another one of that twerp's virtual doorways." He exclaimed, approaching with caution.

"Another? I take it you've come across some before." She said.

"Yep. And one of them led directly to what happened to you two." He said wryly. Sonja grumbled to herself and shoved past him. "So where does this thing lead?" she snapped.

"If I had to guess, I'd say to more images of either yours, or my past." He said. He opened the door.

The room was empty except for a screen, a table and—

"A cheap old movie projector?" Kaiba exclaimed in surprise. "Get with the times, Noah."

"Cool." Sonja said. "We used to have one of these in our attic. It had the only pictures I've ever seen of my grandmother Harriet. But then we lost it when our storage unit caught fire."

"Very touching." Kaiba droned sarcastically.

"I was just living in temporary nostalgia!" she shouted.

Kaiba switched the machine on and looked at the screen as the projector warmed up.

"You actually know how to work these things?" she asked in surprise.

She turned as the images started to flash on the screen.

"_ I betcha can't catch me, dad!_"

"Wait a minute." She said. "That looks like Noah!"

"It is." Kaiba said. The screen showed a younger-looking Noah playing tag with someone.

"Nice outfit, dork." Kaiba muttered.

"Seto, stop it." Sonja snapped.

"How sad." Kaiba said. "That little twerp is still trying to convince me that he's Gozuborou Kaiba's son."

"Wait, back up." Sonja said. "I must have missed something here. Gozuborou Kaiba's son? Um, seeing as it's the same last name, isn't that you?"

"Of course not!" Kaiba yelled. Sonja jumped. "Woah, chill."

"Gozuborou was my stepfather and he's gone for good." Kaiba snapped. "Don't you start believing Noah's lies, too, Sonja."

The screen images changed. Now, it showed a small chapel with two people standing outside. One of them, Sonja recognized as Gozuborou from the other images. The other was a woman carrying a picture of Noah.

"What's this?" Kaiba asked.

"_How could this have happened?"_ the woman said sadly.

"_Don't worry,"_ said Gozuborou. "_ Noah can still be saved. I'll find a way." _

_"But how?" _

_"Don't worry. There's nothing I can't do." _

"What is all this supposed to mean? That Noah was in some sort of an accident?"

"It looks that way." Sonja answered. "That must have been a funeral ceremony or something. They did the same thing when…."

She glanced at Kaiba. "Uh, never mind." She said instead.

"When what?"

"When, uh…um, oh, my cousin got, um, hit by a car?" she said. She scrunched her eyes shut at how lame that sounded.

"You're a lot of things, Sonja and a terrible liar is one of them." Kaiba pointed out.

"Don't remind me." She snapped. Kaiba stared back at the screen. "If these images are true, then that would mean that something devastating happened to Noah right before Gozuborou adopted me and Mokuba." He said.

"I sort of figured you were adopted by that guy when you said he wasn't your dad." Sonja pointed out.

"But I don't understand why Noah would want me to know all of this information about his past." Kaiba said ponderously. His eyes went slightly wide as something occurred to him. "Unless someone else is behind all this."

"But who?" Sonja asked.

"As of right now, I have no idea. But mark my words, Sonja, I'm going to find out. Come on."

"No need to tell me twice, this place gives me the creeps." Sonja said.

//ooo//

Sonja stared around her as Kaiba made his way through an obviously familiar area, though he'd clearly never seen it like this.

"This is it." He said.

"What's it?"

He pointed straight ahead. It was an enormous orange building with three statues of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon standing guard outside.

"What's this place?" she asked. He didn't answer, but continued inside. She shrugged and followed after him.

Inside, he started down an illuminated path into what looked like a train terminal.

"I don't get it. Is this a station?" she asked.

She got her answer at the sound of train whistles blaring in the distance. She whirled in time to see the train slowing to a stop close to them.

"_Blue-Eyes White Train approaching the platform. Stand behind the white line and please let all passengers off the vehicle before boarding. Please watch your step." _

Kaiba smirked. "At least he got this right."

He turned. "Come on." He snapped.

"Okay. But I have to warn you, I don't like trains. Never have, never will." She said, boarding after him. He took a seat in the back by the window. He glanced up at her as she looked around nervously.

"I'd sit down if I were you." He warned.

"No, thanks." She said. The train started forward with a violent lurch and Sonja yelped as she was thrown backward. Kaiba winced at the sharp thud and watched bemusedly as she picked herself back up and grudgingly sat down in the seat beside him. She glared at him and growled, "One word and you're dead."

"I didn't say a thing, Sonja."

"Humph. Details." She mumbled. After awhile, Sonja seemed to calm down and stared straight ahead, lost in her own thoughts.

"You're thinking hard about something." Kaiba pointed out.

"What's it to you?"

"Simple question." He airily. Sonja glowered at him. "I'm street smart enough to know that you're up to something." She grumbled.

"What could I possibly be up to?"

"It would easier to make a list."

Clearly, they were both fed up with this virtual nightmare and were inadvertently taking their frustrations out on each other.

After a few minutes, Sonja calmed down and looked about the train in curiosity. "Is this also part of your so-called secret plans?" she asked.

"Yes, and it's the only thing Noah got right in this cheap virtual dump." He growled.

"I have to say, it's pretty cool. I bet even Joey would be able to grudgingly give you a little credit for this."

"I don't need that hack duelist's opinion of my theme park, Sonja." Kaiba snapped.

"Chill." Sonja grumbled. " You two are always arguing over one matter or another. I don't care if you hate each other, but try to be a little less childish about it, huh?"

She received no other reply other than a sharp glare.

_"Attention, you fool." _ A voice said on a loudspeaker somewhere nearby.

"It's Noah." Kaiba said angrily.

"_All passengers who have stolen family empires, listen carefully." _

"Is he talking to you?" Sonja asked curiously.

"_Prepare to exit at the next stop." _

Sonja sighed heavily. "I'm so tired of this." She murmured. As she watched out the window, she could see the tunnel vanishing at the same time as Noah's voice spoke up again. "_Attention, fool. We are now leaving Kaiba-Land. And don't mind the lava pits below. The molten rock is only two thousand degrees." _

Below them, Sonja could see what looked like a primitive Earth covered in craggy rock and fiery magma dotting the surface of the planet. Whether it was her brain or for real, she was sure she could feel the heat even from inside the train. The train slowed to a stop with a squeal of protest from the brakes. "_Welcome to your final destination—for eternity." _Noah said. Sonja jumped up, hurrying to the other window to look out. "Okay, this is bad." She said.

Kaiba had gotten to his feet and was heading to the exit. When Sonja made to follow him, he gently but firmly pushed her back. "You're staying here." He ordered.

"Where on Earth did that come from? I'm going." Sonja snapped.

"Sonja, you're really getting on my last nerve. I can handle Noah if I face him alone, but I can't keep looking after you, got it?" he growled.

"Whoever said you have to? I'm perfectly capable of handling my own life, thank you. Besides, since when does every demon have to be faced alone? We're all in this mess because of Noah and he's my problem, too."

_"I'm waiting, Seto." _

Kaiba looked away as Noah spoke again over the speaker. Finally, he sighed in defeat. "Just don't do anything stupid." He grumbled.

"Really, do I ever?"

As they stepped out, the train continued on and disappeared into a darkened tunnel.

"Please watch your step while exiting." Noah said. He frowned when he saw Kaiba wasn't alone.

"I see you brought a little friend with you. Too afraid to face me alone?" he taunted.

Sonja growled. "That little kid's pushing his luck." She grumbled.

"Sonja, be quiet." Kaiba said. He faced Noah. "Look, I want my brother back, now, you cowardly little runt." He snapped.

Noah smirked. "He's my brother. Mokuba hates you. He'll be much better off when I scatter your mind throughout cyber space."

"What's your problem?" Sonja yelled. Noah regarded her coldly. "Who are you?" he demanded. "Ah, now I remember. The little girl who ran away. I can vaguely recall why, though it was difficult to sort out."

Sonja flinched back defensively. "Shut up! Just shut up!" she screamed. Noah grinned. "Obviously, I hit a sore spot." He taunted. "It doesn't matter, anyway. You won't be around for much longer."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she grumbled.

"I don't want you here to interfere with our duel. So, farewell, Sonja." He said mockingly. Sonja gasped as she was suddenly lifted into the air and pulled from the rock to hover over the lava pools. "What's going on?" she yelled in alarm.

"I'm just going to scatter your mind early." Noah replied.

She shrieked as she suddenly began to plummet downward.

"Noah!" Kaiba yelled. Sonja's descent abruptly halted and she opened her eyes. She looked up.

"What is it?" Noah snapped.

Kaiba frowned. "Sonja wouldn't be able to interfere with anything. However, if anything should happen to her, you'd officially lose all chances of possibly dueling me." He said slyly.

Noah scowled. "Fine."

There was a gurgling sound in the lava as a large rock appeared out of nowhere. He dropped her onto it and turned back to Kaiba. Kaiba ignored him and looked over at Sonja who seemed a little shaken. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." She said. "Thanks."

Kaiba turned back and his eyes narrowed.

"The heat is on, Seto. Literally. And it's time for me to do what I've been waiting to do for years." Noah announced. "Prove to myself and prove to my father that I am superior to you in every single way, Seto."

"If you're so great, why am I the president of KaibaCorp?" Kaiba pointed out.

"Because of an unfortunate twist of fate that never should have happened. But I'm about to correct that mistake. Gozuborou Kaiba is my father, not yours and he always intended to pass his company on to me."

"Keep dreaming kid."

"It's all true!" Noah yelled.

"Who are you?" Kaiba demanded. "I saw your home movies. And you owe me some answers!"

"You want the truth, Seto?" Noah said after a brief hesitation. " Are you sure you can handle the truth? Well, you won't be here for much longer, so what's the harm? It's true. I haven't aged in years. In fact, this isn't really me. The real Noah is up there!" he said, raising his eyes to the sky. The clouds swirled and parted as an enormous glowing sphere drifted down, slowing to hover far above them.

"Behold! Your true stepbrother!" Noah proclaimed.

"Explain yourself!" Kaiba yelled. Noah chuckled. "That metal sphere above us is a shell, which protects and nourishes my living brain."

"You're kidding!" Sonja exclaimed.

"Did you say your brain's up there?" Kaiba asked in disbelief.

"That's right. It's hardwired to a computer that projects a virtual image of me. But things weren't always that way. I used to be a normal kid—a normal kid who had everything. As the only child of a multi-billionaire, I was afforded every luxury known to man. My father's servants waited on me hand and foot. I was groomed for success since the time I could walk. Mathematicians and scientists from around the globe lines up for the chance to teach me, the son of the world's most powerful man. Musicians, champion athletes, they were all lured to our front door by my father, Gozuborou Kaiba, with the sole purpose of raising me into an educated, well-rounded future president of KaibaCorp."

Noah paused to let this sink in. "So you see, Seto. It was me who was destined to run my father's company. Not you. And I would have, had it not been for a freak accident. What happened to me is of little importance. The point is, my body was rendered useless, but my mind was still sharp as ever. So my father used his company's cutting edge technology to save me. He linked my mind to a central computer, transforming my brainwaves into electromagnetic pulses. Every thought pattern, every memory, every bit of knowledge I had was digitized and downloaded into my father's mainframe computer. It was the end of my former life as a human, and the beginning of my new life as a virtual being whose power is limitless!

"Soon after that, you came along. Originally, father adopted you to motivate and challenge me, as part of my training to take over KaibaCorp. But that was no longer possible. Although I was extremely powerful in cyberspace, with no body of my own, I couldn't serve as the future president of my father's company—until now!"

Sonja listened to all of this, half wanting to believe it. It sounded too crazy not to be true. There's no way he could have made that whole thing up on the spot.

"So you see, Seto, I'm not human, anymore. I exist only as a digital file in a supercomputer built by my father. But as soon as I defeat you in a duel, proving once and for all that I should be running KaibaCorp, I'll upload my mind into your body. Then I'll fulfill my father's wishes by taking over the company!"

"You're one twisted kid!" Sonja yelled.

"Be quiet!" Noah snapped at her. "This has nothing to do with you."

Kaiba started laughing. "You expect me to believe that? Noah, please." He said irritably. "The only more ridiculous than that story is you dueling me."

"Then lets' go. What better way to prove my power over you than by defeating you at your own pathetic game, Seto?"

"I've heard enough!" Kaiba yelled. " Is that clear? I rebuilt KaibaCorp from the ground up, on my terms, with no help at all! That company is what it is because of me! No one else could run it, especially not some kid!"

All around them, the lava exploded upward in a torrent. "Really?" Noah exclaimed.

"I'll show you real power. Lets' go!" Kaiba snapped.

"All right. Then choose your cards, Seto."

"I already have!" Kaiba exclaimed indignantly. "And I've already chosen my Deck Master. Say hello to my friend, Kaiser Seahorse!"

As he placed his deck on the disk, his chosen monster appeared behind him, ready to attack if called upon.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this, Seto." Noah said. "Time to lose it all."

"Lets' duel!" they both declared.

Sonja sighed. Here it was, the match of the decades, with no clear-cut winner revealed just yet. Who would emerge victorious?

She had no way of knowing.

A/N: Did you all enjoy that?? I hope so. Be prepared for the next installment, Match of The Decades! See you then.


	24. The Match of The Decades

A/N: As a heads up, this is my longest chapter yet. 7000 some odd words and 26 pages. The thing is, I couldn't find a good place to stop here. This covers the entire duel. Hope you enjoy it. This one's for Daeth101. Hope you like it. ^_^

The Match of The Decades

"I'll go first." Kaiba said. He drew a card. "And now, behold! I summon Giant Germ in attack mode!"

He removed a card from his hand. "And then I'll position this card facedown."

Sonja guessed what it was. It was probably the Crush Card Combo. She hoped that he wasn't nearly as obvious to Noah as he was to her. It might just be because he'd used that same strategy against her in their last duel.

"Lets' see what you've got, stepbrother." He taunted.

"With pleasure, Seto, so stand back." Noah declared.

"This should be amusing." Kaiba said wryly. Noah ignored him.

"I summon Kyron the Mage!" Noah proclaimed.

At that moment, however, Sonja heard something to the right and turned I time to see some sort of vortex appear out of nowhere and something come flying out of it, landing on a rock several meters away. She stood up shakily. "Hey, it's everyone else!" she said. Kaiba turned. "Well, what do you know." He mumbled. As they watched, a little girl with turquoise hair stood up and looked over.

"Sonja!" she called. "Hey! Over here!"

Sonja beamed, relieved. "Sophie! You're okay!"

Kaiba faced his opponent again, ignoring the others.

"Looks like your fan club has arrived." Noah taunted. "And they came just in time to witness your duel, Seto and my rebirth into the real world as the new leader of KaibaCorp. Behold, the power of my mage and his mirror of truth! Nothing can remain hidden from me now, for the mirror of truth reveals your facedown card and destroys it as well. Now, lets' see what you tried to hide."

The monster turned its mirror to reflect Kaiba's facedown trap card. It was flipped right-side up in the mirror.

"Oh no!" Kaiba could only watch as his trap was destroyed.

"Your Crush Card is gone, now watch this. Attack, my mage! Destroy his Giant Germ!"

Kaiba's Lifepoints dropped some. Then, his eyes narrowed. "Giant Germ, return to me, now!" he declared. His monster returned in a flurry of holographic shards.

"It's back. And you lose five hundred Lifepoints." Kaiba smirked.

"I'm not too worried. Your card's weak."

"That may be, but what makes you think I brought it back to attack you? Watch and learn. I sacrifice my Giant Germ, in order to summon my Vampire Lord!"

Giant Germ vanished, the new and much stronger monster taking its place.

"Now, my creature of darkness, attack his Kyron the Mage!"

Noah's monster was destroyed, but Kaiba wasn't finished. "And that's not all. Every time my vampire sucks away some of your Lifepoints, he forces you to send one of your cards directly to the graveyard. So say goodbye to yet another monster card, Noah. At this rate, your deck will be empty in no time."

"I doubt that. I'm afraid that fanged freak of yours is about to take his own trip to the card graveyard, now."

"But you have no monsters!" Kaiba protested.

"I never said anything about using a monster. I'll destroy him with this, the magic card, Fissure! Adios bat-boy."

Kaiba seemed shaken as he watched his monster vanish from the field.

"And now that you're defenseless, I'll play this." He said as he summoned another warrior monster to the field.

"Kaiba's wide open for a direct attack!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Go, my Aries! Attack Seto's Lifepoints!"

The attack struck home in a blaze of blue electrical static from the duel disk. Kaiba's Lifepoints were brought down to fourteen-hundred.

"Surrender now, while you have the chance." Noah declared smugly.

"You wish, you little cretin!" Sonja yelled.

"Don't give up, Kaiba!" Yugi added.

"Show that little green-haired twerp whose boss!" Joey shouted.

"I'll place one card facedown." Noah said, unfazed by the others.

"You'll never get away with this, Noah!" Kaiba snapped. "I'd rather see my company crumble to the ground than fall into your grubby little hands. KaibaCorp is mine! You got that, punk?"

"You stole it! I'm just taking back what belongs to me."

"Keep dreaming, kid. Okay then." Kaiba said, drawing a card and beginning his turn. "You might remember my old friend, Vampire Lord?" he said as a holographic sarcophagus rose up out of the lava, releasing the resurrected creature within.

"You look surprised." Kaiba smirked. "Don't you know about vampires? They can't be destroyed. My vampire possesses the power of immortality, you fool. So when he's sent to the graveyard, he comes back. And there's more. I summon this, Slate Warrior in attack mode!"

"Hmm." Sonja said. "A wind monster and a dark monster. Both extremely powerful. This should give him an edge."

"All right!" Joey exclaimed. "I never thought that I'd be rooting for Kaiba, but lets' go, rich boy!"

"I can't be beat." Noah said. "We're in my world, now and I make the rules."

" Listen, you may think that you created this virtual world, you punk, but all you did was rip off my system. Now, Vampire Lord, attack!"

"I don't think so! Your vampire has activated my trap card! So reveal, the mighty Earthshaker! Time for me to shake things up a bit!"

The virtual world began to shudder violently. Sonja held perfectly still in order to maintain her balance on the rock.

" Now allow me to explain how this groundbreaking trap card of mine works, in case you don't know. You have two kinds of creatures on this field; a wind monster and a dark monster. And one of those two monsters is about to be destroyed. But which one? That is up to you, Seto."

There was a brief pause as Kaiba considered his options.

"Lets' go!" Noah snapped.

"I choose my creature of darkness!" Kaiba declared, gesturing to Vampire Lord.

"Earthshaker, swallow his Vampire Lord!"

The lava exploded upwards, engulfing the monster and destroying it.

"Why'd he pick that? Kaiba's Vampire Lord was much stronger than his other monster." Joey questioned.

"Yeah, but don't forget. When Kaiba's vampire is destroyed, it comes right back to the field in his next turn." Yugi reminded him.

"All right." Joey said. " Kaiba may be a pain in the butt, but he knows how to play Duel Monsters."

"Now it's time to say goodbye to your monster!" Kaiba announced. "Slate Warrior, attack!"

In a gust of wind, Noah's Aries was destroyed.

"Now, you're completely defenseless!" Kaiba said.

"This duel's looking up." Joey said.

"Kaiba made a good move, but Noah's still ahead of him but almost two-thousand points, Joey." Yugi said gravely. "There'll be plenty of time to celebrate—later."

"Lets' just hope he wins." Sophie said.

"I was thinking, Seto." Noah said placidly, in a tone like the motion of a snake waiting to strike. "Maybe you and I just got off on the wrong foot. Perhaps it's time to wash away out differences. And this should help! The magic card, Giant Flood!"

Once again, the virtual world started to shake. Movement to the left caught Sonja's eye and she turned. Her eyes widened in alarm.

"Yikes, a tsunami!" she shrieked. Her first instinct was to run, but then she realized she had nowhere to run to.

"Time to drown out my competition." Noah called as the ever-approaching water blocked him from view. A sort of virtual sphere shielded him as the water slammed through the playing field. Sonja lost her balance and tumbled into the torrent.

"Sonni!" Sophie screamed. As the water level fell after a few seconds, Sophie scanned the water anxiously for her sister.

"Where is she?" she exclaimed.

"She's gotta be in there somewhere." Joey said. As if on cue, she broke the surface, coughing. Duke and Joey helped to pull her up onto the rock. As soon as she was safe, Sophie tackled her, nearly throwing her back in. "Sonni! I missed you!"

"I missed you too, sis." Sonja said.

Kaiba turned back to the duel as the flood receded. It was now that he noticed the devastating effect of this magic card.

"Looks like your monster needs a life jacket." Noah taunted. Kaiba's Slate Warrior was floating away.

"No!"

His monster was pulled into a swirling funnel in the water, along with every monster that had been sent to the graveyard.

"Now it's time for you to see what my Deck Master can do." Noah said.

"But you never picked a Deck Master!"

"Oh, forgive me for being so rude!" Noah said. The water began to swirl rapidly behind him.

"What's freak boy up to now?" Joey exclaimed as something started to rise up out above the water.

"Meet my Deck Master!" Noah shouted as the water exploded upwards. "Shinato's Ark!"

It was an enormous boat.

"This nuts!" Joey stammered. " Look at the size of that thing!"

"No way!"

"That boat's your Deck Master?" Kaiba snapped in disbelief.

"That's right. Now, Seto, my great ark will allow me to sail away with everything you have, your company, and your brother!"

"What kind of freak thinks a giant boat could be his Deck Master?" Joey said, baffled.

"It must be really powerful, Joey." Yugi said. As he said this, the front of the ship suddenly opened up wide.

"What's happening?"

"It's swallowing every monster that's been sent to the graveyard!" Duke exclaimed. The doors shut once more.

"Are you wondering what happened to all your monsters?"

"It crossed my mind." Kaiba answered testily.

"Just as that sphere holds my brain, my ship now holds a precious cargo of its own, Seto."

"I can see that, kid." Kaiba growled.

"And from now on, every monster that's been sent to the card graveyard will be rerouted into the belly of Shinato's Ark and there it shall live for the rest of the duel. Lets' just say I'm collecting passengers, shall we?" he said ominously.

"But what happens to those monsters once they enter the ship?" Yugi asked.

"I gotta feeling we'll find out soon." Joey replied.

To their surprise, Kaiba started to laugh quietly. Noah scowled. "You find this funny?" he snapped.

" I find you pathetic. Thanks to your Giant Flood card, you have no monsters on the field, or in your hand and it's my move. So if I draw a monster now, you have nothing to protect you from its attack!"

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, amateur." Noah said.

Kaiba drew a card. "Prepare to lose now! I call to the field the mighty Spear Dragon!"

The dragon appeared with roar, though Noah seemed undeterred.

"Go! Attack him, now! With Cyclone Blast!" Kaiba ordered.

"Is that thing supposed to scare me? I can block its attack with ease, Seto." Noah said confidently.

"With what?"

"With this! A creature you might recognize that now lives within my ship!" he said as a bolt of light erupted from the ark and soared down onto the playing field.

"Arise, Vampire Lord!"

"That's my monster, kid!" Kaiba said, his tone tense with surprise.

"Not anymore! He's a passenger aboard Shinato's Ark! Which means he belongs to me, now. And thanks to my Deck Master's special ability, I have access to every monster onboard my ship, so go ahead and try to attack me, now."

The attack from the Spear Dragon was launched and at the same time, deflected by Noah's new creature.

"My vampire will absorb the impact! Nice try, Seto." He said. Sonja had remained quiet up until this point, but shook her head. "This is bad." She said. "I've actually heard about this Shinato's Ark card. It's real rare. I heard that only a few were made before they were declared too powerful. Unfortunately, there's one more special effect it's got that's even worse than what it is right now."

"And what's that?" Duke asked.

"The chances of Noah actually finding a time to use this effect are slim, Duke. So there's no point telling you what it is right now. Just watch the duel." She said.

"You're forgetting one thing, Seto." Noah said, drawing a card. "We're dueling in my world. And I control everything around us." He said as his ship suddenly lifted out of the water and hovered in the air above him. At the same time, the water started to recede.

"What's going on?"

"I don't like the looks of that." Tea said uneasily.

"Here's a small taste of my power." Noah declared.

"Check it out!" Tea exclaimed. "The whole virtual world is changing!"

"Quite impressive, isn't it." Noah bragged. "I command every part of this place."

He drew a card. "Welcome to the dinosaur age. I summon Giant Rex! Your Spear Dragon's about to become extinct."

"Oh jeez." Sonja muttered. "That overgrown lizard's got two thousand attack points."

"Giant Rex, attack!" Noah commanded. Kaiba's Spear Dragon was tossed clear out of the playing field, landing close to where the others stood. It vanished in a shower of holographic shards.

"Luckily for you, your pitiful dragon was in defense mode so your Lifepoints were spared. But I can assure you, you won't be so lucky next time, Seto."

Kaiba simply scowled.

"What? Are you feeling frustrated? Because you've finally realized that I'm more intelligent than you? Look up! My superhuman brain sees everything and with each passing second it grows."

"What's he mean by that?" Yugi asked.

"It sounds like Noah's brain's up there."

"That's creepy." Sophie commented.

"I'm starting to wonder if maybe I'm still asleep." Sonja said vaguely. "Ow!" she yelped as Joey pinched her arm. He beamed. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

Sonja rubbed her arm painfully. "Joey, if this place is virtual, how the heck was I supposed to even feel that?" she snapped.

"When my mind was digitized into that computer, something happened. Something unexpected." Noah explained. " It seemed my brainwaves were beginning to grow more powerful. I was able to access vast amounts of information through the databanks of my father's computer network. I was constantly absorbing facts and figures. I learned the answers to mankind's greatest secrets! Before long I became a superhuman, infused with knowledge beyond that of anyone on earth. But all of this wisdom, all of this understanding, all of this intelligence wasn't enough. Something was still missing from my life."

"And what was that?" Kaiba snapped, growing impatient.

"One thing." Noah replied. "The thing I was never able to achieve as a human. And once I destroy you, I'll finally prove to him that KaibaCorp should be mine. You're just a lowly human, Seto. You're nothing next to me."

Kaiba chuckled in apathy.

"I missed the joke." Noah grumbled.

"Behind your so-called superhuman intellect is nothing but a spoiled brat." Kaiba declared.

"Is that so?"

"For your entire life, people just handed things to you, Noah. But I had to work for what I have. KaibaCorp is mine because I earned it. And the fact that you think you can take it away from me by winning one duel proves what I thought about you from the start."

"And what's that?"

"You're nuts! You must have spent one too many years trapped in that bubble in the sky, Noah."

"So, you think I'm insane for wanting to claim what's rightfully mine?"

"No, I think you're insane for trapping me in a virtual computer program and forcing me to duel you. Just so you can prove to your daddy that you're not the failure he thinks you are. Well I'm here to prove that you are. There's a reason I'm in charge of KaibaCorp and you're not."

"Why's that?"

" Because I'm the best man for the job. I'm more fit to run that company than you'll ever be and deep down, your father always knew that!"

Noah was silent for several moments, seemingly lost in his own thoughts and staring blankly at the ground. "That's right. My body was virtually destroyed and father told me that I existed in a different way than everyone else. I soon discovered the meaning of my father's words. He created a new world for me to live in. But this world was far from perfect. The virtual environment I lived in was full of glitches. I knew some improvements needed to be made. My father told me that we would discuss my future taking over of the company in my current state. But that discussion never happened. And soon, he began focusing all his attention on his new family." He said with deep bitterness. " As for me, my father began to visit less and less until finally, he chose to ignore me completely. He didn't believe that KaibaCorp could be run properly by a virtual president."

"Noah, Gozuborou didn't give up on you because of your virtual state. I think, he knew no matter how much knowledge you gained, you'd always be a spoiled brat. Expecting to get ahead in the world without making any effort at all. As despicable as your father was, he knew the value of hard work, it was his own determination for power that got him where he was, after all. And as much as it pained him to admit it, Gozuborou knew that I was the best man for the job of KaibaCorp president. And as for you, Noah, his real son—you were better off isolated in your computer world, out of everyone's way!"

Noah chuckled. "Seto, that could quite possibly be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my entire life. Come on, now. My father wanting you to be president?"

"Why do you think he created that digital dump for you? You were in the way."

"You actually believe my father put me here to focus his attention on you? Seto, you always thought you were top dog, but of the three Kaiba brothers, you're the low man on the totem pole."

"You're confused, Noah. That's your slot." Kaiba backfired.

"Why don't we ask Mokuba what he thinks? Shall we?"

"Lets' finish this. It's my move." He said as he drew a card. "Excellent. I play this, Pot of Greed. It allows me to draw two more cards to refresh my hand."

"As if that'll save you."

"Now's the time to activate my Deck Master's special ability. Kaiser Seahorse allows me to summon a powerful monster without having to sacrifice a weaker one. So now I call to the field my unstoppable Different Dimension Dragon! Then I'll place these three cards facedown and end my turn, Noah."

"What's Kaiba thinking?" Joey exclaimed. "Noah's dino is gonna blast his dragon into the Stone Age just like last time."

"Kaiba's no fool." Yugi said. "I'm sure those facedown cards are part of his plan to win this."

"That's all you've got? What a pity." Noah said. He drew a card. "Looks like this duel's about to end in my victory, Seto. As I take the Kaiba Corporation by storm! For now I activate the magic card Deepest Impact! Open the skies and unleash your devastating power!"

The sky suddenly turned bright orange. "What's happening, sis?" Sophie asked nervously.

"I have no clue, Sophie. But whatever it is, it doesn't look promising!"

"I got a bad feeling about this." Duke said.

"Me too! Look!" Joey yelled. Asteroids rained down from the sky, hurtling toward them.

"Take cover!"

They plowed into the earth all around them, throwing dust up into the air. One of them struck Kaiba's dragon, destroying it as well.

"History teaches us that the age of the dinosaurs abruptly ended thanks to a meteor shower. Then the earth cooled off and the ice age began. And we all know, there were no dinosaurs on earth during the ice age, so goodbye, my Giant Rex." He said as his dinosaur was frozen where it stood, breaking apart and vanishing from the field.

"That rex was his!" Yugi said in shock.

"This is getting weird. Call me crazy, but that boy's not right in the head." Joey exclaimed.

"You may be wondering why I used my Deepest Impact magic card to remove all monsters from the field and cut both of our Lifepoints in half. Well it's all part of evolution. It weeds out the weak and helpless and allows only the strong to thrive."

"Then I'm safe." Kaiba snapped.

" Guess again! My magic card Ice Age Panic is about to lead to your extinction! By allowing me to summon the most powerful beast of the ice age, Seto. Meet Last Tusk Mammoth!!"

"Oh man, that's nuts!" Joey said.

"That thing could wipe him out in its next attack." Sonja grumbled.

Kaiba didn't appear worried, though. "Now it's time to bring back this. Different Dimension Dragon, return to me now, in defense mode!" he proclaimed as his dragon appeared through a virtual vortex to return to position on the field.

"My beast has the power to travel between dimensions, and now he's back in ours. And, unfortunately for you, my dragon is stronger than your mammoth, so brace yourself because I'm about to rewrite history by cutting short the ice age, so prepare to lose your mammoth. His time is up."

"You should know better than anyone that the past can't be changed. My Tusk Mammoth will destroy your dragon."

"Is it me, or is Noah going to attack a monster that's stronger than his?" Tristan asked. Sonja glanced at him. "Uh, by the way Tristan, why the heck are you a monkey?"

Tristan sighed. "Long story." He mumbled.

"You're in for a quite a surprise, now." Noah said. "You'll never defeat me. I'm in control here. Mokuba understands that now, why can't you? This is my world and you're my prisoner, forever!"

"Go ahead and attack me." Kaiba challenged. "My monster's stronger."

"Mammoth, attack!" Noah declared.

"Activate trap card! Ring of Destruction! This will stop your monster in its tracks!"

"Hm. I see that you're getting desperate, Seto." Noah taunted. "It's true your Ring of Destruction will destroy my Tusk Mammoth, but you'll lose Lifepoints, too."

"Not when I activate my magic card, Ring of Defense! It will shield my Lifepoints!" he said as his trap card detonated, eliminating Noah's mammoth just as the magic card kicked in, protecting Kaiba's Lifepoints.

"All right! Nice move, Kaiba! Way to put that little runt in his place!" Joey exclaimed.

Sonja nodded. "That was pretty good."

The snow seemed to slow and finally stop all around them.

"Looks like your ice age is over." Kaiba remarked. "I guess you don't control everything here."

"Hey Yuge," Joey said. "They're both down to their last chunk of Lifepoints."

"Yeah. Lets' just hope Kaiba can wipe out Noah's first."

Kaiba drew a card. "All right. Now, it's time to finish you off."

"Huh. I'm shaking in my boots." Noah said with a shrug.

"You should be. First I'll switch my dragon from defense to attack mode. Next, I'll send my Thunder Dragon to the card graveyard, where he'll be absorbed by Shinato's Ark, but not before his special skill kicks in, giving me two more dragons. But that's not all, Noah. Next I'll use Polymerization to fuse them both together, forming Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"

"I'd hate to meet that thing in a dark alley." Joey said.

"I'd hate to meet it in broad daylight." Sonja added. "Good thing it's on our side."

"Good point."

Kaiba wasn't done. "And thanks to my Quick Attack magic card, I can attack right now. And with no monsters to protect you, your Lifepoints are as good as gone."

"You seem to have forgotten about the powers of my ark, Seto. Every monster that's been sent to the graveyard lives onboard, and I have access to every one of them. Observe!"

Noah re-summoned Giant Rex and Giant Solider of Stone to the field to guard his Lifepoints.

"I really thought he had him that time."

"Guess not." Joey said.

To their surprise, Kaiba started to laugh. "You fool, you fell right into my trap. Now, I can wipe out what's left of your Lifepoints and put an end to this family feud. I didn't forget about your Deck Master's special ability. I wanted you to summon those monsters. For one reason. So I could play this! It's called Dragons' Rage and here's how it works. If my monster's attacks points are higher than your monster's defense points, the different comes out of your Lifepoints! So prepare yourself as Different Dimension Dragon attacks your Giant Rex!"

Noah's dinosaur was eliminated, leaving only the Giant Soldier of Stone.

"One monster down and one more to go." Kaiba declared.

"Yeah!" Joey yelled, putting Yugi in a triumphant headlock. "Beat that last monster and it's over!"

"This is where it all ends." Kaiba said. "Now, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, attack his Giant Soldier!"

_"Don't do it!" _

Kaiba froze at the sound of the familiar voice. Sonja looked up in shock.

Suddenly, Mokuba appeared from a virtual warp panel in front of Noah.

"What's going on?" Kaiba exclaimed. "What have you done to him, Noah?!"

"What?" Sophie yelled. "Hey, Mokuba! What the heck are you doing, you idiot?" she cried in alarm. He didn't seem to hear her.

"Mokuba." Kaiba said in bewilderment.

"Whoever you are," Mokuba murmured. "If you want to attack my brother Noah, you'll have to go through me."

"Mokuba, snap out of it!" Kaiba yelled.

No one seemed to notice the look of terror on Sonja's face. "Why didn't I realize it, then?" she whispered. "I knew there was something funny about him. How could I have been so stupid?"

"He's been brainwashed!" Joey exclaimed.

Noah laughed. "That's right, Mokuba, protect me. From him! He's the stranger who's trying to break you and I apart."

"Stranger." Mokuba repeated blankly.

"No, it's me!" Kaiba said desperately.

"Mokuba has chosen sides based upon his own free will, Seto. Looking back, maybe you should have treated him with more respect. I give him the support you never could."

Kaiba didn't say a word. It didn't appear as though he could.

"It didn't have to be this way, Seto. But you left me with no choice. Now you have a decision to make. Forfeit this duel and step down as president of KaibaCorp, or continue with your final attack and risk losing Mokuba for good. Your brother's fate is in your hands."

"If Kaiba attacks Noah now, he'll be attacking Mokuba, also." Yugi said contemplatively.

"So," Noah continued. "What's it gonna be? Mokuba, or control of KaibaCorp? Decide. Your choice will impact the rest of your life."

Sonja sighed heavily and covered her eyes. "I can't believe it. I was so stupid. I didn't even notice."

"What are you talking about, Sonja?" Tea asked.

"Awhile ago, I'd been wandering in some ravine. I saw Mokuba, there. But he seemed different. He didn't seem to recognize me at all. He even sent a Man-Eater Bug after me. I don't know why I didn't see it sooner."

"Don't beat yourself up for it." Duke said. "There wasn't anything you really could have done."

"Thanks for trying, but I'm still considering this as a weight on myself for not realizing that Mokuba must have been tricked in some way."

"Noah, I'm only going to say this once. Release Mokuba, now! This is our fight. Is that clear? He has nothing to do with this!"

"There you go disrespecting Mokuba again. Acting like his opinion means nothing. Tell him, Moki."

"Give KaibaCorp to Noah, now!" Mokuba yelled.

"I don't believe it!" Yugi exclaimed.

"It looks like Mokuba has made his position quite clear. Now, are you going to attack me or not? If you do, just remember, you'll be striking Mokuba."

Sophie started to cry. "I thought Mokuba was my friend." She mumbled.

"He is, Sophie." Sonja said. "He's just not aware of what he's being forced to do, right now."

"You mean he was hypnotized?"

"Eh, something like that." Sonja answered, not sure how to word it. She scowled. "Whatever's going on, I don't like it one bit."

" Well, Seto? Attack and you'll win the duel. But at what cost?"

"This is a no-brainer! Kaiba has to attack him and win this duel. If he lets Noah win then we all lose."

"What's it gonna be? Your victory, or Mokuba?"

"All right, kid. I'll end my turn." Kaiba growled.

"I thought so." Yugi muttered.

Noah chuckled. "Seto, I knew you couldn't go through with your attack. You can't possibly run a company like KaibaCorp if you're so quick to give in to your competition."

He turned to Mokuba. "Excellent work, Mokuba. I couldn't ask for a better brother."

"Thanks. Anytime."

"What a team. Now lets' finish this stranger off, shall we?"

"Yeah!" Mokuba said. "Lets' go. This creep doesn't stand a chance."

"You heard the boy, Seto. For it's time for you to experience another of my Deck Master's special skills."

"And what's that, kid?"

"Observe, as I unleash Shinato's Ark's greatest power! Restoration of Life! Remember, every monster that's been sent to the graveyard is now aboard my ship, giving it a grand total of twelve passengers. And now I choose to remove everyone of them."

As the monster aboard the ship disintegrated, it seemed as though Noah were absorbing their power. "As you can see, every monster that I obliterate transfers its power to my Lifepoints, making me unstoppable. And since I get a five-hundred point boost from each monster, I receive six-thousand more Lifepoints. Now I'm even stronger than I was when we began."

"He'll never beat us now, Noah!" Mokuba said.

"Not with a mere seven-hundred Lifepoints."

Sonja shuddered angrily. "How could you?" she shrieked all of a sudden. Noah glanced up. "What was that?"

"How could you sink so low as to turn Mokuba against us?"

Noah frowned. "I'll pretend not to hear you, for now. You're not worth my time."

Sonja shook her head.

"That little jerk." Joey grumbled.

"Get a load of this card. I play Dark Hole! This magic card destroys all monsters in play! And you know what happens to them after that. They become passengers aboard Shinato's Ark."

"Noah just filled his ship up with monsters again."

"That means he has even more creatures he can call on, now." Duke said.

"Plus he can boost his Lifepoints even higher." Yugi added.

" I think that's enough for one turn. Your move, Seto."

"Mokuba, we're a team remember?" Kaiba called. "You were always there for me. We defeated our stepfather together! I couldn't have done it without you!"

"Very touching Seto, but Mokuba's on my team, now. And together, we're going to take everything you have. Mokuba's my brother. He doesn't even remember you."

"Kaiba!" Yugi yelled. "Listen to me!"

Kaiba turned. "No thanks."

"But I can help you, Kaiba, because I've been through this before. Remember when Joey was brainwashed by Marik and he turned against me? Maybe you can get through to Mokuba the same way I got through to Joey. The answer may be in your deck!"

"Lets' go!" Noah yelled. "You have a duel to lose."

"Guess again, kid. Not only am I planning to win this duel, I'll also win back my brother. So watch this." He said as he drew a card. But it didn't appear to be one he wanted.

"Disappointed?" Noah taunted.

"I still have this card. Different Dimension Dragon! So I'll switch it into defense mode and end my turn. Lets' see if you can get past this, Noah."

"Of course I can. But first, it's time for a change. I think I'll warm things up a bit and put an end to the ice age. After all, it's my virtual world, and I control everything here. As you know, the fall of the ice age opened the way for the rise of mankind. Eventually, cities grew and large corporations controlled the world."

A replica of Domino City appeared about a mile away. It even included a virtual copy of KaibaCorp.

"Explain yourself, now." Kaiba snapped.

"Well, since that's your company, I thought maybe you'd like to see it one final time. You see, once you lose and I take over KaibaCorp, I'll change it back to the way it was. And if you don't remember, this should refresh your memory." He said as he summoned a monster. "Just like so many of the high tech battle vehicles that were produced by the original KaibaCorp, my Gradius Flier can cause an enormous amount of damage. Then I'll add this to boost it's power, the magic card Cyclon Laser! And to make my jet even stronger, I'll add one more card. The Matter-Leveler magic card! It increases the overall attack strength of my monster by one hundred points every time it blasts you, Seto. And thanks to my laser's power, you lose Lifepoints even though your monster's in defense mode. Gradius, attack his dragon with Cyclon Blast attack!"

As the Different Dimension Dragon was eliminated, Kaiba's Lifepoints dropped a little further.

"And since your dragon returns to the field every time it's destroyed, I can keep attacking it." Noah said. "What was once your monsters advantage is now your downfall."

Kaiba drew another card, but again, it didn't seem to be a good one. "I'll leave my Different Dimension Dragon in defense mode and end my turn, now." He declared.

"That's the move of a man who's given up. I knew you were no match for my superior mind. And once I defeat you, everyone else will know as well. Then I'll be able to run KaibaCorp as I was always meant to."

"You may control this virtual fantasy land, but there's no way you'd make it in the real world, Noah."

"We'll see. I'm aware of what it's like in the real world. And after ruling this digital universe, I have no doubt that running KaibaCorp will be a simple task, and one that I was raised to do for my entire life! That is, until you came into my home and took everything away from me. Well now it's my turn to take everything from you. First I took your brother and next I'll take your identity. Now lets' get back to this duel. I play the magic card, Gradius's Option! Since I already have one Gradius fighter jet on the field, this card creates a second one. Behold, the power of two unstoppable aircrafts!"

A second jet morphed to an exact copy of the original on the field. "Now Cyclon Laser, fire!"

This attack was much stronger, pushing Kaiba back several feet.

"Our enemy will soon be gone." Noah said. "I hope you're enjoying the show."

Mokuba nodded.

"Mokuba, please come back!" Sophie yelled.

"Be quiet over there." Noah snapped. "There's a duel going on."

"Shut up, you little creep!" Sonja shouted angrily. "You're pushing your luck. We've _all_ had just about enough of you!"

Noah scowled. "And I have had about enough of you." He grumbled. He turned back. "Now, lets' get back to your destruction, Seto. Go, Cyclon Laser! Attack his dragon, now!"

This attack, even more destructive than the last, sent Kaiba flying back toward the edge of the rock.

"Oh no!" Joey said.

"Get up!" Sonja yelled. "Are you all right?"

Kaiba sat up slowly, slightly shaken. "This isn't over, yet."

"Look at the mighty Seto Kaiba now." Noah smirked.

"Snap out of it, Mokuba. I need you in order to beat him." Kaiba said, getting to his feet.

"What's the matter, Seto? Feeling down? You're one attack away from total annihilation."

"I'm not done." Kaiba gasped, still shaken by the fall.

"Come on, Kaiba! Squash this kid!"

"It's not over till it's over!" Sonja added.

"It'll take more than a few attacks to keep me down, and it's my move, now."

"What a shame. You should know that sometimes it's best to stay down. The sooner you give into my power, the less suffering you'll have to do, Seto. Mokuba realized that fact."

"Mokuba!" Yugi shouted. "I know you're in there! Noah is hypnotizing you with lies! Seto is your brother, not Noah! And he's never let you down! Look inside your heart and you'll remember him!"

"S-Seto?" Mokuba stammered, confused.

"They're just trying to break us apart, Mokuba." Noah grumbled.

"Mokuba! Listen to me!" Kaiba said. "Don't let Noah poison your mind. We're family and no one can ever change that. You and I have always been there to support one another and we always will be. There's something I never told you, Mokuba. You once saved me, when we were kids. When Gozuborou Kaiba adopted us, he was merciless, forcing me to work for hours with no rest. I was exhausted and ready to give up, until you inspired me, Mokuba. When I had nothing else in the world and I was too tired to go on, you took a risk and brought me my deck hidden inside a text book. As I looked through it, I saw that you'd drawn a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card for me. By making that card for me, you encouraged me not to give up. You gave me something to strive for. I swore that day to become a person worthy of possessing a real Blue-Eyes."

Mokuba froze. _I…I remember making that card. I knew how much Seto wanted that card and I thought if I drew one for him, he'd always remember his dream of owning a real one someday. And I secretly dreamed that Seto and his Blue-Eyes would fly me as far from my stepfather's house as we could go._

"I remember." He said again.

"That's right, Mokuba, I know you can't forget about me. You're strong and I know you can break through his mind games! Never give up and never let anyone control you!"

"Can't…give…up."

"Fight him off! We can do this, you and I together!" Kaiba said as he drew a card. He didn't look at for a few seconds and then opened one eye to see what it was.

"This duel is over, Noah! First I'll activate the special ability of my Deck Master. Now I only need to sacrifice one monster so that I can play this! Behold the incredible power of my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

The sky darkened suddenly as the dragon appeared in a flash of light with a roar.

"There it is." Mokuba said. _It's the monster I drew for Seto. The one that he always wanted. I tried my best to help him get it. And now, thanks to my help, he has one in his deck!_

"I remember!"

"Mokuba!"

"Seto, you're my brother."

Noah scowled. "He's our enemy, Mokuba."

"Too late! Mokuba's back with us!" Joey yelled.

"And once he steps away, Kaiba can blast Noah." Tristan said.

"Later you phony." Mokuba snapped at Noah as he leapt out of the way.

As he hurried toward the other side of the playing field, Sophie dashed down before Sonja could stop her. She threw her arms around her friend, sobbing hysterically.

"Sophie, cut it out!" Mokuba exclaimed. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and started shoving him back and forth. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, you idiot!" she wailed.

"O-oka-ay! I won't!" Mokuba said, pulling away and grinning.

Sonja shook her head with a sigh. "That's my sister, for you. Overly emotional about everything."

"Here goes!" Kaiba declared. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack his Gradius!"

The attack launched toward one of the jets, eliminating the other one at the same time.

"All right! Noah's out of monsters, now!" Tea said.

" Kaiba knew that destroying one of Noah's jets would automatically destroy the other one, too."

"Don't celebrate just yet. There's still my Deck Master, Shinato's Ark. And there are five monsters onboard to increase my Lifepoints."

"Oh man."

"Hell never go down to zero." Tristan grumbled.

"Now it's time to finish you off. My move." Noah said.

"Hold on, Noah." Kaiba interrupted.

"I have you right where I want you. It's time fond out which one of us is superior."

"What?"

"There's one turn left. Brace yourself. Reveal the trap card, Last Turn! It all comes down to this."

The earth started to rumble.

"What's going on?"

Sonja scrambled down the slope toward her sister as the dust around the field swirled up in a large funnel all around them.

"Watch this, Mokuba. Here's how it's gonna work. Each of us will pick a monster to keep on the field and all others will go directly to the graveyard. Then the two chosen monsters will face each other on a one-on-one battle to the finish. When the fight is over, only one of our monsters will remain standing."

"The winner of this one battle will determine who wins the duel, no matter how many Lifepoints he has left."

"May the strongest duelist win. I choose my Blue-Eyes!" Kaiba declared.

"All right then. I choose my Deck Master, the all powerful Shinato's Ark!"

"It's time for me to sink your ship now, and finish you off! Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack his Deck Master with White Lightning attack!"

The attack surged into the ship, ripping through the hull and totally obliterating it.

"Kaiba won!"

"Wrong!" Noah shouted. "Look again! You've just unleashed a power like nothing you've ever seen!" he yelled as a bright glowing sphere emerged from the wreckage of the ship.

"What is that?"

"It's my real Deck Master! You've just sealed your own doom, Seto, for when you destroyed Shinato's Ark, you released Shinato, King of a Higher Plane! Now prepare to experience the power of my real Deck Master. Shinato, attack!"

In an instant, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was destroyed, throwing Kaiba back again.

"Seto!" Mokuba cried.

"Hah! Seto, I've finally done it! I've proven that I'm superior to you! Did you see that, father? I defeated Seto! Now I can finally take over KaibaCorp like I was always meant to. For I am the most powerful being in the world. Now to complete one final task before I exit this place. Ready? I'll now merge _together with my Deck Master to deliver the last blow of this duel. You see I've decided to escape to the real world in your body, Seto, since I have so many others to choose from. Besides, that's no fun. I've got bigger plans. Shinato and I want to turn you into a permanent fixture in this virtual world." _

"Hey! Seto!" Mokuba called as he hurried up the embankment to his brother. Seto smiled faintly. "Mokuba."

"_This reunion is touching, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut it short_."

There was a sharp explosion of light and both vanished from sight. When the light faded, Sonja screamed.

"What happened?" she yelled in alarm.

"Kaiba! Mokuba!"

"What did he do to them!?"

"_I always thought they were hard-headed. So I turned them into a living sculpture. They're so close, yet they'll never reach one another." _

"No way." Sonja muttered. Sophie stood next to the stone statue that had been her friend. She whimpered a bit and then burst into tears, screaming. "You freaky kid! What the heck are you thinking?" she yelled. Tea put her hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

Sonja was bristling by now. "That's it." She growled. She whirled to Noah. "You know what you are?" she yelled. "A messed up, spoiled little kid! Seto was right about you this entire time! If things don't go your way, you just rearrange the world so they do."

"_Silence. I've had just about enough of you._"

"Sonja, be quiet or he'll do the same to you!" Joey said. Sonja made her way out onto the grass a ways. "I'm not scared of him, guys. He can do whatever he wants, but that won't prove a thing to anyone. The only thing he'll prove is that he's too scared to play fair."

"_I said silence!_"

"You kidnap Mokuba, you trap us in this virtual wasteland, you do this to the only friends Sophie and I have ever had and now you have the gall to tell me to be quiet?! Honestly, you've sunk pretty darn low today, Noah, but I'm dead convinced that you can go even lower."

"_That's it! I've had it with you!" _

Noah's Deck Master pointed toward her again and the same white lightning shot towards her. She stood her ground.

"Run, sis!" Sophie shrieked.

"Get out of the way!"

Sophie hurried toward her and had just about reached her when Sonja whirled and shoved her back as hard as she could just as the bolt struck. Sonja screamed and her voice started to die away into the sky as she was slowly transformed to stone before their eyes. She was frozen in an expression of surprise and anger, staring up at the sky with dead, blank eyes. Sophie froze a minute and then slowly crept over to the statue that had been her sister. She touched the cool granite hand and took a deep raspy breath. "_SONJA!!!!_" She screamed.

A/N: I had that planned from the beginning. I wasn't in the mood to finish the duel, since you all really know how it ends anyway. Please review and let me know!


	25. Fooled Again

A/N: Next chapter, ahoy! And I seem to have attracted a very constructive critic. Forgive me if this is wrong, but I believe the name was Mayan. It takes a few meetings before a penname clicks for good so if that's not right, I apologize. While I enjoy constructive criticism, there is a limit to all things, so please cut it into more manageable pieces next time, okay? ^_^ Your review, while interesting took up a whole page. But I appreciate reviews, good and bad. Trust me. The sequel to this story will be better and yes, there is a sequel.

Fooled Again

The next thing she knew, Sonja found she was able to breathe again and the first thing she felt was Sophie knocking her flat on her back, crying hysterically. "Sonni, you're back!" she cried.

"I am?" Sonja asked, confused. "What happened?"

"Yugi took over Kaiba's duel and won! We're free!" Sophie exclaimed. Sonja just stared and then smiled a little. "I don't believe I've ever heard sweeter words." She mumbled. She glanced up towards her friends. It was then that it occurred to her that that's what they really were, when all things were considered. She sighed. "Looks like everything's turning out all right." She said.

Yugi was telling Noah something and the others hurried over to him as one by one, they were freed, apparently in the order they were frozen. Sonja just watched, strangely calm. Then, she looked over toward Kaiba and Mokuba. Kaiba stood aloof from the group and Sophie rushed over to tackle Mokuba. "Yay! Everyone's safe again!" she yelled.

"Sophie!" Mokuba gasped as she cut off his windpipe. "Cut it out!"

Sonja made her way over and shook her head at the two. "Everything's almost back to normal." She said.

"Emphasize 'almost', if you don't mind." Kaiba growled. Sonja sighed. "I understand you're kind of irked over this whole thing, but please try not to take it out on the rest of us."

Kaiba glanced at her. "I was told that Yugi took over my duel." He said somewhat bitterly.

"Yeah, from what I understand." Sonja answered. "But, after Noah turned you guys to stone, I sort of started ranting and he did the same to me a few minutes later, so I don't really know the details."

Kaiba's eyes widened. "What?" he exclaimed. He grumbled to himself and turned away, mumbling under his breath as he made his way over to the others.

"You have failed, Noah, so it's time to set us all free." Yugi said to Noah. Sonja joined her sister beside the group, watching with baited breath.

"And give me my real body back, pronto!" Tristan still-a-monkey yelled.

"So, you want your body back?" Noah said. He started to laugh. "Your real body's exactly where it's been since you arrived."

"What does that mean?"

"Enough with the games, Noah!" Tea snapped.

"Don't you get it? There are no real bodies in my world. Everything here is virtual. That means all of you, too."

"I don't get it." Joey said.

"I do." Duke replied. "We're not just trapped in a virtual world, we're all a part of it, too."

"Exactly. Your real bodies are strapped into cyber-pods that are hard-wired to my virtual simulator. So everything you've experienced here has only happened in your minds."

"So that's why it seems so real, here." Tea said. "Our minds are being tricked into feeling things that aren't really there."

"No way." Sophie exclaimed.

"Of course!" Kaiba said. "When the floor opened up, we didn't fall into a virtual vortex, we were knocked unconscious and locked in your cyber simulation pods."

Suddenly, the sky began to grow dark.

"What now, Noah?" Sonja demanded.

"I'm not doing it this time." Noah said.

"Now what?" Joey wanted to know.

_"You have failed me for the last time, Noah!" _

"Who's there?"

"That voice!" Kaiba exclaimed in disbelief. "It can't be!"

"Father!" Noah cried. "Give me another chance!"

"_Too late for that!" _

As they watched, the clouds morphed, revealing a face. Sonja was confused, but Sophie recognized it and swallowed.

"Gozuborou!" Mokuba yelled.

"Wait!" Noah called. "Father, not yet! I need more time!"

"_More time? You've had more than enough time to prove yourself. It's time for me to finish things off, now. That's why I digitized my own mind when Seto disgraced me by taking over my company. I wanted revenge. Now the time has come!" _

"So, you've been behind this the whole time." Kaiba snapped.

"Yes he has!" Noah answered. "Right father? And he's going to give KaibaCorp to me."

_"You had your chance, Noah. And you failed, son." _

"Look pops, you had your chance, also." Kaiba interrupted. "And you failed when you lost KaibaCorp to someone more fit for the job."

_"You? I taught you everything you know! You fool, you thought you could outsmart me? It's about time you learned the truth about why I adopted you. After you beat me at chess, I thought you'd be the perfect person to motivate my real son, Noah, who was quite a slacker." _

"So you just used him? That's not cool." Tea snapped.

"How mean."

"You creep!" Sophie yelled.

_"Noah needed to work more on his studies. I thought Seto could give him the push he needed to someday take over KaibaCorp. But then Noah had his little accident and his body was rendered useless. I tried to preserve his mind in cyberspace, but I soon realized he would always be the same spoiled brat, unworthy of inheriting my company. So I turned my attention to you, Seto. I thought maybe you could be the heir to my fortune. So I pushed you to your limit." _

"You gave up on your own son!" Noah cried bitterly. "And you trapped me all alone in cyberspace!"

_"Not at first." _ Gozuborou continued. _" Initially, I thought I could still use Seto to help you." _

"Use me? And what was it you planned to do with me, Gozuborou? Force me to play chess against your virtual son to increase his intellect?"

_"No, not quite, Seto." _

"Then what?"

_"I had something much more interesting planned." _

" Enough! Will you spit it out?" Kaiba snapped.

_"Very well. Even if Noah could learn to run a multibillion dollar corporation, he still lacked one major thing; a body. And that's where you came in, Seto." _

"You're insane!" Sonja exclaimed. "That's just sick!"

"You were going to transfer Noah's mind to Kaiba?" Tea exclaimed in horror.

_"Relax. That plan lasted only a short time. Noah's mind! Haha! Why would I give you Noah's mind, when yours was perfectly fine? So I concentrated on training you, Seto, so you could inherit my empire. But then you stole it. So using the same technology I used to download Noah's mind into my computer network, I digitized my own mind, retreating to cyberspace to plot my revenge. Then I built this place for my final plan, to take over your body myself." _

"Sonja, this is freaky! I wanna go home!" Sophie cried.

"Father," Noah said, abashed, "So you used me to trap them here?"

_"That's the only thing you did right. But I'll take it from here. The fun and games are over." _

"You snake!" Kaiba snapped.

_"I can't believe that you had the nerve to call me a snake. I was the most powerful human being on the planet until you came along and stole that power away from me, Seto. Don't you realize that I treated you even better that I treated my own son?" _

"Thanks, for nothing. And I'll make sure you never regain your power."

_"You're too late." _Gozuborou answered as a virtual image screen appeared before them in the sky.

"What's that?" Yugi asked.

_Haha, just look! It's part of my newest plan! This is one of the many satellites KaibaCorp put into orbit when I was still in charge." _

"And what are you gonna do with that?" Joey inquired suspiciously.

_"These satellites can beam signals to every computer system on earth, and sends it back to my underwater base that holds my supercomputer. No one on earth will escape me. I'll have access to every home on the planet." _

"Please," Noah scoffed. "That has to be the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard."

_"I'm surprised you feel that way, Noah. After all, the idea came from you. Don't you remember, my son?" _

Noah froze for a second, racking his brain to recall. Then, his eyes widened in alarm. "No!" he exclaimed.

_"And so, Seto. As you can see, I'm no longer interested in taking control of your body in order to regain KaibaCorp. I've set my sights on bigger things." _

"Lunatic." Kaiba growled.

_"You can believe whatever you want about me, Seto, because once my plan works, I'll be the most powerful being on the planet once again! And no one on earth will be able to stop me, this time. Seto, Noah, this is about so much more than just acquiring one company. For when I'm finished, everyone on earth will become virtual! I plan to digitize the entire world! And I will reign as the cyber ruler of a new planet earth!" _

He began to laugh as the clouds swirled and dispersed and he disappeared.

"Get back here, right now!" Kaiba yelled.

"It's too late." Sonja said. "He's gone."

No trace of the evil black clouds remained.

Everyone turned to Noah. "Now what?" Duke asked.

Noah was silent, apparently in shock over this whole thing. "I can't believe it." He said finally. He shook his head and glared at the group. "He lied to me."

"Well, you kinda deserved it." Joey said, earning him a sharp smack by Tea. Noah sighed. "Well, my father's gone for now. But you must escape, quickly." He said. They all found themselves encased in a bright light and as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, showing that they'd arrived in a rocky valley. A dark cave lay a few yards to the right and Noah was leading them inside.

"I don't know about this." Sonja muttered.

"Just keep quiet and stay behind me." Kaiba instructed grimly. Sonja glanced at Sophie, shrugged and followed.

"I know the way out." Noah said. "Just keep following me."

"And why should we believe you, Noah?" Joey demanded.

"What choice do we have?" Duke reprimanded.

"There it is!" Noah cried, bounding forward. "A possible exit!"

But as he approached a small computer terminal, he groaned in frustration. "Never mind. This is one of several remote network stations built by my father. It can give us access to all of the program's emergency exits. But it seems my father has closed off every exit to stop us from escaping. When he showed up again after six years, he promised to help me. But he was lying. My father was using me."

Sonja watched with dim eyes, hope for all of them escaping slowly fading. Even as Noah seemed to lose it and fall into insanity for a few minutes, she knew it was only a matter of time. Noah had managed to suppress human instinct and stay somewhat sane for six years of isolation. But now, it was finally starting to creep up on him, even as Mokuba attempted to snap him back to reality.

"Wait!" Noah finally exclaimed, seemingly forgetting about his irate fit a few minutes earlier. "Something has just occurred to me. There is one more escape route."

"Where is it?"

"It's a doorway that I created and it leads directly to the read world. I'm quite sure my father has no idea that it exists. You can escape and warn the world of his plan."

"Then what are we waiting around here, for? Lets' go!" Joey said.

"Very well. Just follow me."

Sonja seemed doubtful. But Sophie remained as always optimistic. "Yeah! We're finally leaving this place!" she exclaimed. Kaiba noticed Sonja's hesitation to follow Noah, when she clearly wanted to. "I see you don't trust him either." He said quietly.

"I can't help it. We've been stuck in this place for almost twenty-four hours. And we actually have lives to return to. It's kind of unfair."

"Tell me about it." He grumbled.

Noah led everyone down a darkened rock tunnel not too far from where they'd first appeared. "It's not too far from here." He said.

Kaiba and Yugi lagged behind the group. Yugi voiced his doubts about Noah and Kaiba found himself in agreement. But he mentioned that he didn't dare let Noah out of his sights.

Sonja stayed even further behind them, fighting off a bout of depression from this confinement. Even Sophie didn't see it. She'd learned to suffer in silence. But Kaiba glanced back to see they were still there and he saw something going on in Sonja's mind, but he didn't understand what it was. Her eyes were spacey and empty, and she seemed like a hollow shell simply following the orders of another. It was weird.

Noah led them out into the sun and continued toward a small ravine.

"All right, where is this exit already?" Joey complained after awhile.

Noah stopped. Before them stood an enormous wall. "There." Noah said. "Your freedom lies beyond this door. Once you walk through, you'll wake up in the real world." He said as the doors began to open.

"Sonni, I'm kinda scared." Sophie said nervously, moving behind her sister. Sonja didn't want to admit out loud that she felt the same way. A bright light flashed out from within the doorway, blinding them all as it had when they first arrived.

//ooo//

"Hello?" Mokuba yelled. It looked like he was back in Domino city. "Where is everyone? They're gone. That's weird. Seto? I hope he didn't leave without me."

"Mokuba!" he heard suddenly. He turned around. It was Noah. "What are you still doing here?"

"Where else would I be? Where's everyone else?"

"They made it out already. Come on."

Noah led him further into the city, smirking. _Your friends may think they're free, but they're really trapped in their own memories. _

//ooo//

Sophie leaned against an alley wall, staring into space and breathing heavily. She felt terrible and her stomach heaved with every breath. "Sonja, please hurry." She whined. Footsteps approaching made her look up hopefully, only to see some kid reach down and grab her by the collar of her shirt, lifting her up. "Hey, brat! You got any money for me?" he demanded, shaking her roughly.  
"Put me down!" Sophie yelled. She froze. _Wait. This seems familiar. Didn't this already happen?_

She was jarred loose as the kid released her, yelling in anger as something attacked him from behind. It was Sonja, closing her arms around his neck and cutting off his windpipe. Sophie fell back against the wall, watching as he threw Sonja to the ground and attempted to pummel her with his right fist, only to strike the concrete as she rolled to the side to jump back to her feet. The kid grabbed her arm and wrenched it down. There was a sickening crack as he threw her against the trashcans and stalked off, leaving her there.

_That's right._ Sophie thought, watching as Sonja picked herself up, cradling her arm and moaning in pain. _This already happened. Sonja broke her arm that day and didn't heal properly for two years afterward. _

Sophie blinked and another memory appeared, this time of she and Sonja hiding in a closet while all kinds of destruction went on outside and someone yelling for them to show themselves. She remembered Sonja shoving her farther into the darkness and telling her to be quiet, even as the door was thrown open and Sonja yelled as she was yanked out, the door slamming shut again and locking Sophie in.

"Let me out!" Sophie cried, in both the memory and the present. "Let me out of this!"

//ooo//

Sonja wandered across a marble floor, wondering where her friends had gone to. She happened to glance down at what she was wearing and gasped when she saw what it was. It was that sky blue evening gown.

"But how? I haven't seen this thing since—"

She whirled as someone approached from the top of the stairs.

"No way!"

//ooo//

The next thing she knew, she was with her friends in what appeared to be Domino City.

"Ugh! Can anyone tell me what's going on?" Tristan yelled.

"What just happened?" Sophie asked.

"I don't know, but I'm not sure I want to find out."

"Noah must have tricked us." Yugi said.

"Yeah." Sonja agreed. "I guess he went through that little memory trick on everyone this time."

"Lets' find that punk, right now!" Joey yelled. "Where is he anyway?"

"Hey, Kaiba's gone, too!" Tea exclaimed.

"And Mokuba." Yugi added.

//ooo//

In a nearby video arcade, Noah watched as Mokuba attempted to find the exit in one of the many games.

"Hey, Noah, I can't seem to find the exit in here. This video game has so many levels. Do you remember which one you hid the doorway in?"

"You're close." Noah said.

"I just remembered." Mokuba said. "You can't escape with us to the real world without a body. But, I bet Seto can make you a body. I mean, you're our family, Noah. It won't be like your old body, but at least you'll be in the real world."

Noah froze in the motion of reaching out to take control of Mokuba in order to escape. Mokuba jumped up. "I'm sure the tech experts at KaibaCorp can construct some kind of a robot body for you. Hey, maybe we can be twins. After all, Noah, we are brothers, aren't we?"

Noah chuckled nervously. _Mokuba still likes me after all I've done to him? I almost feel bad. _

"There are so many games in here, maybe you hid the exit somewhere else." Mokuba suggested. "I mean, look around, everything looks exactly the same in this place."

"You're right." Noah said. "It's over there, by that stage."

"Up here?" Mokuba asked, running over to it. "This is kinda cool, but where is it?"

Noah smirked. "Right here!" he exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing his shoulder, causing them both to disappear in a flash of light.

//ooo//

Sonja leaned against a tree, staring at the ground. "This is getting out of hand." She said.

"Please don't tell me you're just now figuring that out." Duke said.

"Of course not. I've known that since Noah hacked into the security systems and kidnapped us. But I'm just now saying it out loud."

"So what do we do, now?" Sophie asked.

"How about we find Noah for starters?" Joey suggested angrily.

"Good idea." Sonja said. "Now, do you know where he is?"

Joey froze and sighed, shrugging. "Not a clue."

Everyone groaned in frustration.

//ooo//

Meanwhile, within the chamber that housed Noah's cyber simulation pods, one of them opened up with a hiss of air. Mokuba opened his eyes and sat up. He got out and looked down at his hands, as though unable to believe it.

"I'm free. Finally, I'm free!" Noah exclaimed. "After all these years, a body of my own. Thanks, Mokuba. I owe you my life." He said, chuckling.

A/N: Ugh! I am so glad the whole virtual thing is almost over. It was a pain and a half to write. But luckily, I'm almost done with the story anyway. So please review and let me know what you think!


	26. Escape at Last

A/N: I was bored, so I decided to update. I have a half-day in school today and tomorrow! Yay!! I also have a weird ceramics teacher who adopted a wolf spider he found in the classroom sink as a pet. -_-; Anyway, enjoy the chapter. They FINALLY leave the virtual world.

Escape at Last

Joey was seething by now, after searching for Noah and failing miserably. By the time the gang had finally caught up with him, he looked about ready to explode.

"That scrawny little twerp double-crossed us again! I knew we shouldn't have trusted him. Now he's toast!"

"Wait, Joey, we have to come up with a plan that makes sense." Yugi said.

Joey turned around. "Yeah, and I already came up with a plan. We shake Noah upside down till he tells us the way out!"

"I'm gonna have to agree with Joey on this one, guys." Duke said gravely. " Only Noah knows where the exit is."

"And we're running out of time." Tea said. "Because pretty soon, the whole world will be trapped."

Yugi seemed to shrink into himself as everyone tried to decide what to do. Finally, Yugi sighed. "All right. Lets' go find Noah and figure out how to get out of here so we can stop Gozuborou's plan."

"But how?" Tea asked.

"Once we're free of cyberspace, we can warn people in the real world that Gozuborou's planning to digitize the planet."

"There are two problems with your plan, Yugi." Sonja pointed out. She held up on finger. "One, once we do in fact manage to get out of here and try to warn people about Gozuborou and his little scheme, who in the name of Hades would be crazy enough to believe us? The press would be all over you for instance, saying the king of games has finally snapped from the pressure and we could face a bit of trouble from past partners of Gozuborou who believe we're trying to tarnish his name. I won't even go into possible lawsuits. Two, even if we found a few people who would actually believe us, what would we be able to even do about it? This guy's completely virtual and has been in this place long enough to make it so cutting his real body off from his mind would be useless. Plus, no one short of hackers and professional computer programmers would be able to reach him. And I have no doubt that they'd shrug us off as a bunch of crazy kids out for publicity."

Everyone gaped at her as she explained the flaws. Joey growled. "Sonja, did you have to go and ruin our hopes for this?" he snapped.

"Sorry." Sonja shrugged "My first part-timer was with a computer wholesaler. I know these things". Tristan-the-monkey sighed. "I hope-_ooh ooh_-stop that-_ooh ooh_-too late."

Duke glanced at him strangely. "Tristan, I couldn't understand a thing you just said. You're almost all chimp, now."

Suddenly, they heard a distant voice chuckling and turned in time to see a hoard of monsters appearing behind them. "It's Skull Knight!"

"There's a whole bunch of them!"

More monsters appeared all around them, cutting off all means of escape.

"Where are these monsters coming from?"

As more and more showed up out of nowhere, they all bunched into a group. "We gotta do something!" Joey said.

"Last I checked, running away was something!"

"But we're surrounded! There's no way out!"

One of them approached and turned its sword on Serenity.

"Stop!" Joey yelled, stepping in front of her. The monster instead raised its sword in preparation to attack.

Yugi quickly drew a card and summoned it to the field. "Come forth, Curse of Dragon!" he called. Thankfully, his monster appeared in front of them, blocking the attack and destroying the other monster.

"All right, Yugi! It's my turn now. I play, my Axe Raider!"

Joey called his monster as a further defense.

Sonja glanced around desperately. "The rest of you, follow me!" she exclaimed, grabbing Sophie's hand and taking off in the opposite direction. Tea, Duke, Tristan-the-monkey and Serenity all followed, leaving Yugi and Joey to set up a defensive to guard them.

//ooo//

In the real world, Noah made his way along the corridors toward central command.

"It's good to be back in the real world." He said to himself. "Mokuba's body was a perfect fit. Now I can go ahead with my plan and stop my father from completing his." He said as he punched a key code into an entry lock on the wall. The doors opened and he stepped inside, making his way along to the main computer network. _It's so simple. I'll destroy the main central computer that allows my father's virtual world to exist, thus destroying every mind that's trapped there. My father's, Seto's, and all of Yugi's friends. _

"Those fools. Thinking I was actually going to help them escape was the last mistake they'll ever make. Now it's time. The past is over. And I'll take my father down with his own satellite."

The computer began the system mechanics required to reprogram the satellite.

//ooo//

Kaiba, having separated himself from the group some time back, waited as the elevator leading to the top floor of the company's headquarters rose further and further. By the time he'd reached the top, he was totally drained of patience for this crazy place. Just waiting in the elevator had ended what little tolerance he'd had while still on the ground.

Once there, he approached the main office and threw open the door.

"Don't you know how to knock?" Gozuborou snapped.

"I guess you never taught me manners." Kaiba said sarcastically.

"Have a seat. It's time for a father and son chat."

"In your dreams." Kaiba droned.

"Seto, just give in, now. You'll make things much easier on yourself. Or you can choose to meet the same fate as your little friends. Take a look. My army of monsters is about to wipe them out." He said as a screen dropped down to reveal the mayhem going on below. Kaiba didn't even turn around, but he heard all of their voices as they struggled to escape the barrage of attacks.

"Your little threats don't scare me at all. So why don't you let us go before I really get angry."

Gozuborou chuckled, got up and stood beside him, facing the opposite direction. "You haven't changed a bit. All right, I know the perfect way to settle our differences. Do you recall the chess match we had the day I met you? Well I propose a rematch."

Kaiba smirked. "You are not worth my time. Why would I want to play chess against someone who couldn't even beat me when I was just a kid?"

Gozuborou hummed. "What makes you think I'm talking about you and me playing another chess game, Seto?"

"Then what did you have in mind, Gozuborou?"

"Take a guess. It's a game you're quite fond of. Duel Monsters."

"Really?" Kaiba exclaimed, barely able to contain the surprise. "What are you up to?"

" You seem mad. I thought you'd jump at the chance to duel your stepfather to win your freedom."

"You thought wrong, Gozuborou. You can't play with my life like it's a game."

"Well that's exactly what you did to me, Seto, on the day you stole the Kaiba Corporation from me."

"How heartbreaking." Kaiba grumbled. " You're here because I outsmarted you and took away your precious little company."

"I'm here because the virtual world gives me limitless power!" Gozuborou backfired. "Soon, I'll use it to digitize the world. But first, I'll get rid of you."

Kaiba sighed apathetically and shook his head. " And why do you have to beat me in a duel to do that?"

"To humiliate you, like you humiliated me. And once I beat you at your favorite game, I'll make sure you never stand in my way again. I'll erase your mind and reprogram you as my servant. Then you'll obey my every command just like the rest of the world."

Kaiba turned away. "I have never served anyone but myself, and I've never backed down from a challenge, Gozuborou. So lets' duel."

//ooo//

Noah still worked with the controls to reprogram the satellite. "It's almost ready." He said to himself as an alarm buzzer went off somewhere in the facility. He glanced up at the screen in time to see someone attack one of the machines and then disappear into the shadows. At the same time, the lights dimmed and the computer screen went black. Marik had shut down the main generators, probably without even being aware of what the heck he was doing. Noah slammed his fists down on the panel. "No!" he yelled as the backup generator brought the place back to life. "I was almost finished!"

_Releasing magnetic docks_, the computer announced, referring to the mechanisms holding the blimp in place.

Noah turned back to the computer as the systems were reactivated. "Good, now where was I?" he said. "Once that satellite attacks, the entire virtual world will instantly shut down, along with every mind inside."

He pressed ENTER to finalize the action and turned away. "This place is history."

//ooo//

Everyone paused for a quick break inside an alley. Duke had an exhausted Sophie on his back while Serenity held Tristan-the-monkey. Sonja glanced out toward the street, struggling to catch her breath. "Okay, I…think we're safe now." She gasped.

"Are those monsters coming back?" Serenity asked anxiously.

"Don't worry, it seems like we're safe for now." Duke said reassuringly. But when the ground began to shudder, they started having second thoughts. They looked up in time to see a large crocodilian monster peer in at them.

"Oh jeez!"

"Maybe not." Duke corrected himself.

"Run!"

Yugi and Joey stayed behind to distract the thing while the others took off. Sonja kept thinking all the while, _If I ever see any of the kids back home again, they'll never believe a word of this._

//ooo//

Noah rode the emergency elevator to the surface where a helicopter was waiting for him. His mind kept running the images of Gozuborou's betrayal of him back in the field after the duel.

_I've had enough. It's time to leave this place behind me forever. _

Despite his efforts, the memories of what Mokuba had said to him also returned. How Mokuba had mentioned that maybe, Noah could live in the real world through a robot body once they all escaped. He'd said that no matter what, they were still family.

_Mokuba's a fool._ Noah thought angrily. _Why can't I stop thinking about this? _

"He trusts me. After all I did." Noah said bitterly. He climbed into the cockpit of the chopper.

"Brotherhood, family, who needs it? That's behind me. Soon, my so-called family will be gone for good." he snapped. But even as he thought it, all of the feelings, thoughts and anger at himself flooded to the surface. And the computer reiterated the time of the attack. "What have I done?" he exclaimed. "Oh no."

Noah scurried out of the chopper and ran as fast as he could go back to the main controls. But when he got there, he was horrified to see that that intruder had completely obliterated the computer panels. "No! Now Mokuba and the others are doomed! It's all my fault!"

Even as that terrible thought reached his mind, another vague possibility appeared and he turned and headed toward the simulation pods. There was a remote terminal there. Perhaps there was still time.

//ooo//

Finally, they'd managed to elude the monsters and stood in the center of town by the museum, resting. Sonja remained anxious and paced around, keeping an eye out. She didn't feel safe enough to stand still.

"Cut that out, Sonja, you're making me nervous too." Duke complained.

"Sorry."

"Did anyone ever tell you that kinda look like a ferret with that white hair?" Joey pointed out. Sonja just stared. "Okay, for the situation we're in right now, that was probably the stupidest thing you could have chosen to say, Joey." She grumbled.

"And it's not true." Sophie added. "Sonja does not look like a ferret."

"Thank you, sis."

"She looks like an arctic fox."

Sonja groaned and covered her eyes. "Okay, how about we all stop discussing what animal I most resemble and figure out how to get out of here?" she snapped.

_"Yugi!" _

They all stopped. "That sounded like Noah." Tea said.

_"Listen to me! My father's satellite has been programmed to destroy the supercomputer, along with all of you guys. You must escape!" _

"Woah, it sounds like this virtual world's about to go bye-bye." Joey said grimly.

"_Listen to me! I can help! The only exit is in the Domino Arcade! Hurry! Time is running out!" _

"Can we…trust him?" Tea asked carefully.

"Trust Noah? Forget about it."

"We-_ooh ooh_- no choice-_oh_-Joey!" Tristan-the-monkey said.

"You're right, we have nothing to lose." Yugi declared.

"Yeah, nothing except our minds, that is." Sonja grumbled.

"Are you always this pessimistic?" Duke snapped at her. "You're starting to remind me too much of Kaiba."

Sonja scowled and turned away sharply with a 'humph'.

"She just snubbed me!" Duke exclaimed. Sophie snickered.

"Cut it out, you two. Lets' go." Tea declared.

"All right, but I'm warning you, you better not pull any of your dirty tricks, Noah!" Joey yelled.

After a few minutes, they'd figured out how they were going to get to the arcade and it came with a little more hope. "The Domino Arcade is only a few blocks away!" Joey said.

"And the exit should be inside!" Yugi added. A sudden clamor behind them made him turn. "Oh no! Behind us! There's no way we'll outrun Gozuborou's monsters!"

Sonja grinned. "Maybe you won't, but I might!"

"How's that?" Joey asked.

"Back in middle school, I always made the track team. But I never stayed on because it was boring. You guys go on ahead, I'll try and buy you some time!"

She turned sharply and took off another direction. "Hey!" she yelled at their pursuers. "This way! How about a more challenging target?"

Just as she'd planned, they took the bait, allowing the others to make a break for the arcade.

"You'd better come back in one piece, sis!" Sophie yelled.

"Don't worry, I will!"

Sonja weaved back and forth as they took hits at her, striking the concrete instead. While she enjoyed playing cat and mouse with them, she knew she couldn't evade them forever and took a sharp veer to the right to head back to the group. "See ya!" she called. When she reached the front entrance to the arcade, she saw Tea and Serenity already heading inside with Sophie and Tristan-the-monkey. "Guys!" she called to them. "Hang on!"

They turned. "Sonja, lets' go, come on!"

_"Listen closely! You must proceed to the stage in the back of the arcade in order to escape." _

"All right guys, lets' go." Tea said. They ran toward the stage and Sonja watched as Tea and Serenity made their way up. "Come on, Sonja." She said.

" I think only two at a time can go. You two go first and Sophie and I will be right behind you."

Tea nodded. "Good luck." She said, as she was enveloped in a flash of light and vanished.

Once they were gone, Sonja gave Sophie a gentle push toward the stairs. "Lets' go, Sophie. We need to get out of here. I'm feeling less human and more like a digital computer file every second."

Sophie giggled and stood on the red platform while Sonja took blue. The same light surrounded them and they found themselves being pulled through some kind of warp. Then, everything went black and Sonja suddenly felt strangely solid. She opened her eyes and raised her hand to the glass lid above her as it lifted away. She sat up. "We're back." She whispered. At the same time, Sophie sat up and yawned. "I actually feel rested." She announced. Sonja smiled and got out, standing up shakily. Tea and Serenity were talking to someone over by the computer module.

"What's going on?" Sonja asked. She froze. "What the? Mokuba?" she exclaimed when she saw who was controlling the panel. But when he spoke, she recognized the voice. "Noah!"

Noah glanced back. "Sorry. The main controls were destroyed and this was the only way I could help you all. I'll return his body as soon as you're all back." He said.

//ooo//

_"Proceed to the stage immediately." _Noah said to Joey, Duke and Yugi. They'd made it into the arcade, but barely.

"That must be it." Joey said, spotting it in the back.

"Joey, you and Duke go first. I'll be right there."

"All right. But you'd better be right behind me." Joey warned. Yugi turned to continue the attack on Gozuborou's monsters while Duke and Joey climbed up onto the stage and were uploaded back into the real world. Once Yugi was sure they were safe, he turned to go too.

_"Yugi wait! I have a favor to ask." _Noah said. Yugi stopped.

//ooo//

Soon, Joey and Duke awoke and Joey tried to sit up, smashing into the glass in the process. "It's great to be back in the real world." He grunted.

"Joey!" Serenity exclaimed.

"Almost everyone's here." Sophie said. Sonja glanced at the three pods that hadn't opened yet. "Yeah, except for the Kaiba brothers and Yugi." She said.

While Joey ranted angrily, they all went over to watch the screen.

"Mokuba's still in the virtual world with Yugi and Seto." Noah said when Duke asked who he was. "That's why I needed Yugi to stay back."

"_What!?_" Joey yelled. "That's why he stayed back? Because Kaiba didn't have enough brains to find the exit on his own?"

Noah ignored him and spoke to Yugi, giving him instructions. "Seto is trapped in a duel with Gozuborou." He said. " You have to find him."

_"How do I do that?" _said Yugi's voice through the speakers.

"I'll use the central computer to create a virtual shortcut so you can reach him. He's in KaibaCorp headquarters."

Noah typed in some type of code to create a virtual doorway. "Go through that door and you'll find Seto."

_"Okay! I won't come back without him!" _Yugi called.

"So, I have a question." Tea said. "Why are you trying to rescue Kaiba? Last I checked, you hated him."

"I was wrong, Tea." Noah said. "I shouldn't have treated you guys the way that I did. I was jealous and angry. I'm sorry."

"Uh," Joey mumbled. "I'm sorry too, for everything I said about you."

"I deserved it." Noah said quietly. The computer announced the remaining four minutes until the attack. "Time is running out!" Noah exclaimed. "Everyone should return to the blimp immediately, it's not safe here now."

"Noah's right! Come on you guys!" Joey yelled. They all started back toward the landing docks. Sonja and Joey lingered behind. "Noah," said Joey. "You're the only one who can get those three guys outta there now. It's all up to you."

"I know." Noah said. Joey hurried away, but Sonja remained and glanced at Noah. "Hey." She said. "Listen. I know you're a good kid, and I can forgive you for everything you did to us in the past twenty-four hours."

Noah smiled a little. "Thanks." He said.

"Just promise me one thing."

"Yeah?"

"Bring them back." Sonja said.

Noah nodded. "I will." He said. "Now get going. There isn't much time left."

"Right." Sonja said as she hurried after the others.

//ooo//

Needless to say, upon reaching the aircraft, as it pulled out onto the launch deck, everyone was more than excited to see the true sky again.

"But we can't leave yet." Tea said to the officials. "Kaiba, Mokuba and Yugi are still back there."

"Sonni, are you sure Noah can bring them back?" Sophie asked.

"I sure hope so." Sonja replied. She heard the roar as the engine were fired up, but she remained on the deck, watching the exit to the underwater fortress.

"_Kaiba Craft III preparing for takeoff." _

"No, wait!" Sonja yelled. "We can't leave yet!"

"We have to get out of here before that computer blows. And time is running out!" Tea exclaimed.

"Hold on," Joey said. "Here they come! Sonja, Sophie, get up here, now!"

"Come on!" Sonja shouted. "You can make it!"

Then she turned, grabbed Sophie and climbed up behind Duke and Tea.

"Hurry up, guys!" Duke yelled. "Lets' go!"

"Hurry!" Sophie shrieked over the roar of the engines. Sonja glanced behind them and her eyes went wide. "The missile!" she yelled. "It's coming!"

"Pick up the pace you guys!" Joey shouted, climbing down to the bottom step. "You're almost here! We got ya!"

"I'm not gonna make it!" Mokuba exclaimed.

"Guess again!" Kaiba said. He grabbed Mokuba's coat and threw him at Duke and Joey. "Catch!" he yelled, before jumping on himself. Sonja glared at him as he got to his feet. "You idiot." She grumbled.

The blimp was almost in the air. Joey grabbed Yugi's arm and pulled him on. "He's in! Now lets' get out of here!"

The stairs folded in and Sonja felt it as the blimp gained a sharp increase in altitude just as the missile struck the fortress below them. The shockwaves it created hurtled into the blimp, causing immense turbulence.

Sonja held onto the wall by the window, watching wide-eyed as the water below them swirled in a fury and the flames from the explosion battered the outside. She was sure she heard an angry voice amidst the commotion outside.

Kaiba whirled and took off for the main control room. Everyone followed to be as far from the main explosion as they could get.

The pilot looked up when the door opened. "Mr. Kaiba, I'm afraid this ship is too slow to escape the explosion!" he announced.

"I'm taking control." Kaiba said.

"We're gonna die!" Sophie screamed as she huddled against the wall. Sonja and Tea watched out the window as a fiery creature of some sort swallowed the ship. Sonja heard breaking glass and turned. Kaiba had broken some sort of emergency hatch and something strange started to happen as flames engulfed the ship.

Suddenly, the force from the engines seemed to grow even stronger and as quickly as it began, the flames disappeared from view as the ship accelerated considerably.

Once the turbulence calmed down, Sonja found she could actually breathe again.

"Okay," she said as the ship smoothed its course. "That was way scary."

Sophie blinked and then giggled suddenly. "Yeah! Lets' do it again!"

Sonja glowered at her and lightly rapped her on the head.

Everyone gathered around the window, watching as the remains of the fortress sank into the sea. "Noah may have been a spoiled brat when we met him, but he turned out to be all right." Joey said.

"Do you think his mind was deleted when the computer was destroyed?" Tea asked nervously.

"Knowing him, he saved his mind on a backup file." Yugi said.

"Yeah, I'm sure he'll be back."

Sonja quietly slinked away as they all recovered the original reason for them being aboard in the first place, because of the tournament. She was sure no one noticed as she left the main control room and paused, listening to them. She smiled to herself and departed for some rest. She was sure that in five minutes, she'd have blacked out from exhaustion.

However, someone noticed she'd gone.

//ooo//

Later on, after the original plan had been reinstated and the ship set back on course, Kaiba remembered Sonja had vanished. Slightly concerned, he decided to go check on her. Upon reaching the door to number 14, the same security code opened it easily and he stepped inside.

Sonja lay curled into a ball on the bed, facing the door, deeply asleep. He carefully approached and knelt down, making sure not to wake her up. She looked exhausted and he figured she'd probably sleep for several more hours.

It came as a surprise when he saw that she had that little brown book next to her, covered loosely by her hand. Curious, he gently picked it up and moved away a few feet. He flipped through the pages, surprised. It was a scrapbook of sorts. There were pictures of her parents at birthdays, one from the zoo, and a family portrait in the very center. It showed her parents with Sophie sitting on her dad's shoulders and Sonja in the center, holding the hand of a much older boy with hair the color of sawdust. Sonja only looked about seven or eight in this photo and the boy looked about his age as he was now. Sonja was smiling genuinely, something he had yet to see her do. He turned the page and found a few journal entries. What they contained stunned him:

_**I really like Domino High School. I may be the new girl, but the people here are so nice to me, like they've known me my whole life. I even got to duel, and actually enjoy it for once. I don't care if I lost. Heck, this guy's the world champion, so it's no surprise. But he gave me a good fight, so for the first time in years, I had fun dueling. I think his name was Kaiba, or something. Maybe he'll agree to duel me again. I actually learned a lot more from that one duel than I did the entire time I was in Osaka. **_

__That was weird. He'd been under the impression that she'd hated that duel. He turned the page.

_**I can't believe it. I have friends! For the first time in my life, real friends. Not people who trick me into believing they're my friends, but honest-to-goodness bona-fide friends. On top of that, my flower shop is doing better than ever since Seto moved our location into the city. You know, he's much nicer than he pretends to be. I wonder why he's like that. But what's even better is that he no longer reminds me of Allan. I don't know what I was thinking, there. You know, I gotta wonder if he knows that his name is a variation of the god Set, the Egyptian embodiment of Chaos? Even so, he can definitely be trusted. **_

__Kaiba stopped. He reminded her of someone named Allan? Why? Who was this Allan person? And in fact, he _hadn't_ known that about his first name. He blinked a few times and glanced back down at the book. There was one more entry.

_**I'm still looking through directories online and stuff. So far, nothing, not a word on them. I wonder if they're even still alive. It doesn't matter, though. I'll be eighteen soon and that means I'll be a legal adult. But right now, I'm getting ready for a trip. Seto and Mokuba told us that we could attend the finals as guests. I'm so excited. I've never seen a tournament like this one. Unfortunately, my stubborn pride won't let me reveal how anxious I am. I'm giving myself a fit because I'm so excited to see the finals. I'm going to sneak this book with me, so I can write about it after they're over. But I don't want to miss a minute of it. **_

__Kaiba closed the cover and gently slid the book back beneath her hand. She stirred in her sleep and sighed. Kaiba knelt down, staring at her thoughtfully. He felt he was one step closer to learning who she really was.

Her eyes twitched and he realized she was dreaming. "Mom…dad…." She whispered, curling into an even tighter ball.

He wasn't sure whether he was thinking or not, but he carefully reached forward and gently brushed a strand of snowy hair from her eyes. She looked so much more at peace asleep, more so than she did when awake, anyway.

She moaned in her sleep. "Sophie…no. That's not candy." She mumbled. "Don't eat it. You'll get…sick."

She sighed and fell silent.

_"Attention, passengers, we are six miles from KaibaCorp Island, preparing for descent." _

He glanced up at the announcement and then back at Sonja. He figured with the way this was going, she'd probably sleep through the rest of the tournament. For some reason, he couldn't help thinking how relieved he was that she was okay after all of this.

With that, he turned and left.

A/N: According to Mayan, my whole 'running away past scenario' is somewhat overused. For those of you who agree, I apologize for it. Sonja's plot changed somewhere between the first and twelfth chapters and I had to get something in. But all will be explained in upcoming chapters. This story is about half done. Maybe less.


	27. Return to Normalcy Sort of

A/N: Okay, Mayan, feel free to criticize me in these upcoming chapters. But keep it at a minimum. ^_^ As for everyone else, I hope you enjoy this. You'd better. A few of the characters keep appearing in my dreams and yelling at me for what I'm doing in later chapters. (sigh) Tis the life of an author. Enjoy.

Return to Normalcy—Sort Of

Kaiba's prediction came true. Shortly after arriving on the island, Sonja's fever came back because of her weakened state and she remained in a state unconsciousness for the rest of the tournament. This time, Sonja was awake during her fever's outbreak and Yugi and Tea found her in the on-craft kitchen looking for ice cubes.

The doctor assured them she'd be fine, only that she'd overdone it on the activity so suddenly after the last fever.

"That's my sister." Sophie mumbled. "Some people are perfectly content to spend their lives idle. Sonja isn't one of those people."

Sonja hadn't even awoken when, after the tournament, Kaiba decided to detonate the island and desert everyone with the broken-down aircraft. Tristan had volunteered to carry her out to the copter that had arrived for Joey after he'd dueled Marik and lost.

Sonja had slept through the explosion and all the way to Domino City. She awoke briefly to say goodbye to Mai and Duke and then fell into half-consciousness as she walked back to the apartment with Sophie leading her. She barely heard Sophie's admonishments: "Now, when we get back, you climb right into bed. I'll make you some tea and bring the radio in for you to listen to, okay? Did you hear me?"

To which Sonja replied with a vague "Hn."

Sonja did as she was told, of course, even from her little sister. She curled into bed and pulled the covers up to her eyes, still feeling achy from the fever and vaguely wondering how she got back home.

"How'd I get here?" she mumbled. Sophie giggled as she brought some tea in. "The doctor aboard the blimp said you'd contracted a virus triggered by exhaustion. You'll be fine. I already talked to our neighbor who's a nurse. She said to get plenty of rest, forty-two hours' worth, at least."

She handed her a steaming mug of chamomile tea. "A blimp?" Sonja said quietly. "It was all a dream, then."

"The tournament?"

"Yeah, that and that Noah kid, and the virtual universe. And Seto's step dad returning with his plans to digitize the world. I must have dreamt it all." She said, closing her eyes.

"No, sis. It was real. It's what wore you out so badly. Oh, and I got a call from Mokuba."

"Yeah?" Sonja mumbled without opening her eyes.

"Mm-hmm. He said they're heading back here in a couple of days. I told him you were laid up in bed and he said they both wish for you to get better."

She giggled. "I heard Mr. Kaiba grumbling on the other end."

Sonja sighed contentedly. "That's nice. In the meantime, it'll be nice to get some rest. But I need to go down to the shop. My flowers—"

"I'll take care of them. You get some rest. You still have a fever. If you need some more blankets…." She broke off and handed her the big stick from the shop. "Rap this on the floor."

Sonja smiled weakly. "Thanks, Sophie. You're the best."

"Get some sleep, sis." Sophie said, turning toward the door. "I'll be in to check on you in awhile."

She turned the lights off and closed the door, leaving Sonja in darkness. Sonja started to feel painfully alone. Perhaps she was scared because she was sick. Or maybe it was because she really was alone. There were times like this when she truly wished she didn't have to be the responsible adult.

She closed her eyes, praying for sleep to find her.

//ooo//

The phone down in the shop rang suddenly and Sophie yelped, dropped her broom and rushed to answer it. "Gavens' Flower Emporium, Sophie speaking. Oh, hey, Mokuba! How are you?" she asked, bending to pick the broom up. "Yeah Sonja's fine. She's been sleeping for hours. Oh really? You're back in Domino? Awesome."

She frowned. "Huh? He wants to talk to her? But why? Well I can't get her right now, she's still asleep. I'll let her know, though."

Sophie smiled. "Sure thing. Huh? Hey, yeah! That sounds cool! I'd love to go to the arcade. I've never been to the Domino one and I suppose Noah's virtual copy doesn't count, huh? Hehe, I figured as much. Okay, see ya then!"

She hung up and left the shop, turning the open sign to closed and running up the stairs. She found Sonja sitting up in bed reading _The Golden Compass. _She glanced up at Sophie and grinned. "Hey, Sophie. How are you?"

"I'm good. Mokuba and I are going over to the arcade later today and Mr. Kaiba wants to talk to you when you're feeling up to it."

Sonja blinked. "He actually said that?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"No, Mokuba did. Why?"

"Nothing, Sophie." She put down the book. "When are you going?"

"In about an hour."

Sonja leaned down over the mattress and rummaged around beneath the bed looking for something. She came up with a small wooden box. She opened the lid and took out some money. "Here. This is half for games and half to get you something to eat while you're there." She said, handing her the money.

"Wow! Thanks, sis!" Sophie exclaimed.

"No problem. I'm going to rest a little longer and then I'll head over and see what he wants. Okay?"

"Got it. I'll work down in the shop until it's time to go."

Sonja nodded and lay back down facing the wall. Sophie paused in the doorway. "Oh, and happy birthday, sis." She whispered. Sonja let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, yeah. Just go have fun." She murmured. With that, she closed her eyes and fell back asleep.

//ooo//

Sonja awoke around nine at night, just after the sun had gone down over the horizon. She sat up and yawned. "Great." She mumbled. "I slept all day. Looks like I won't be getting any sleep tonight."

She got up and stretched, then dug around under her bed for her box of clothing that she _still_ had to unpack.

She gasped suddenly. "Right, today's thirteenth. It's my eighteenth birthday."

This sudden knowledge stunned her for a moment. "Wow. I'm finally a legal adult." She said with a smile. She resumed hunting for her outfit.

Ten minutes later, she'd found a pair of blue jeans and a plain blue T-shirt, tied her hair back partway and left a note for Sophie. With that, she left the apartment and headed down the stairs into the shop to completely close up for the night.

"Okay." She said. "Now, to see what he wants to talk to me about."

//ooo//

Ursula looked up as she was alerted to someone at the front entrance. When she saw Sonja wave from the other side, she opened the door for her. "Sonja! How are you?" she asked.

"I'm good. How about yourself?" Sonja asked.

"Couldn't be better. My son Jake and his wife have a brand new baby girl. I'm a grandma!"

"Congratulations!" Sonja relied. "What's her name?"

Ursula pulled a picture off her computer. "This is the little ladybug as we call her. Her name is Sierra-May. I'm going to see her in a few weeks."

"She's precious." Sonja said, handing the picture back.

"I can hardly wait to see her. Jake and his wife live all the way in California. I haven't seen them since Christmas. But enough of them, what brings you to this big, depressing and empty place."

Sonja laughed. "Well, your sense of humor to liven it up." She said. Both of them burst out laughing. "But actually, Seto wants to talk to me about something."

"Oh, so you two are finally getting along?"

Sonja grimaced. "Is everyone waiting for that?" she grumbled. "Eh, not really. He just wants to talk to me for some reason."

"All right, then. Go on up. Oh, and do me a favor. Tell him that next time I accidentally send him a sales call, to stop sending me endless junk mail files to weed through."

Sonja froze. "Say what?"

"I accidentally transferred a telemarketer's phone call and he copied and sent me three-hundred and twenty-seven junk emails that took me three hours to sort out."

Sonja laughed. "Who'd have thought he had a sense of humor." She muttered.

"I don't think I'd put it that way, but yes, I suppose." Ursula said irritably. "Scoot, young snip." She snapped playfully, "And leave an old woman to her work."

Sonja waved goodbye and pressed the button for the elevator, still curious as to what he wanted to talk to her about.

The eerie silence on the top floor was slightly unnerving. Sonja made her way down the hall based on her memory of the few times she'd been here before. At the end of the hall, she knocked a couple of times.

"_Come in._" she heard him say absently. He was probably still working. She opened the door and stepped inside, expecting to see him at his desk. Instead, she was surprised to see he was sitting on the couch reading a book. He glanced up.

"As usual, on time." He muttered. He stood up and set the book on his desk.

"What were you reading?" she asked. He looked down at the book, picked it up again and tossed it to her. She looked at the cover.

" _A Tale of Two Cities_? Wow. This is a good book." She said, tossing it back carefully. He caught it and set it down again without a word. Then, he turned and sat down at his desk.

"I take it you wanted to speak to me about something?" Sonja probed.

"Yes. Sit down, this will take a minute."

She did so and waited. "Okay, what'd you need to talk to me about?"

He waited a moment to answer. "If I recall, you mentioned awhile back that you turned eighteen in early September."

"Yeah. Today, actually." Sonja replied.

"That's what I want to talk to you about. You were always suspicious that there was another reason I purchased your shop." He said somewhat darkly.

"Okay, so apparently, I was right and you're about to regale to me the facts." She said sarcastically.

"As usual, your insight is uncanny"

Sonja sighed. "Okay, shoot. And if you're thinking of breaking it to me lightly, forget it. Don't beat around the bush, just spit it out." She snapped. Her refusal to be toyed with by anyone was one quality he admired. He nodded.

"Very well. I purchased your shop merely to protect you and your sister until you were legally able to live on your own." He said.

Sonja just stared, dumbfounded. "Either I've lost it, or you just said something totally out of character."

"Neither. As much as I dislike you, I knew that your sister and my brother are friends, now and should you be taken by officials to a home, Mokuba would lose the only friend he's ever actually had. Besides, I wouldn't wish the fate of living in an orphanage to my worst enemy, so I figured the wisest option would be to subtly protect you by moving you closer to the headquarters where I could keep an eye on you."

Sonja scowled. "Well, thanks a ton. But I'm pretty sure there's another reason you're telling me all of this now."

"There is." He said nonchalantly. "Now that you're a legal adult, there's no more reason to protect you from child welfare services, so long as Sophie remains happy in your care." He said. " My company will continue to fund your shop and you will continue to bring monthly reports on sales and progress, but from that, I wish to have no further contact with you, Sonja."

He waited for yet another snappy comeback as he'd come to expect from her. But he was surprised when she sat and stared at him, face blank of all expression. "I see." She said simply. "That's life, I suppose."

She got up and yawned. "I kinda wish you'd have waited until tomorrow to tell me this. I only just woke up a short while ago."

He watched as she made her way to the door. Her face didn't alter in the slightest, but she turned. "I guess I was right about you." She said.

"How's that?"

"You'd do anything to keep Mokuba happy. Even to go so far as to socialize with an urchin like me."

She turned away as she opened the door. " You know, Mokuba wasn't the only one to find a friend."

With that, she left.

Kaiba was left to think about what she'd said. Was she implying that she'd come to see him as a friend? If that was the case, it made him really wonder about how felt about her. Though they argued about everything, pretty much, he still respected her. He shook off the thought, opened his laptop and decided to work for a few more hours.

He was oblivious to the fact that outside the door and all the way down to the ground floor, Sonja had begun to cry.

//ooo//

Meanwhile, down in the deepest dregs of the city, a small robbery was going on. From the inside of a worn-down apartment building, the sounds of crashing as items were scattered about could be heard.

Inside, tied up against a worn, moth-eaten sofa, the female occupant of the home watched in helpless, gagged silence as her house was ransacked.

"Damn." The kid swore. "Nothing but trash. Damn it, woman, don't you have anything valuable around this dump?" he snapped at her as he wandered through the rooms, tearing furniture apart searching for articles of worthy price.

He sighed in frustration and ran his hand through his greasy black hair. "What a night." He growled. "Well, I guess I could always take you. You really aren't that bad looking."

Here, her eyes widened and she started to struggle against the cords.

At that moment, the sound of heavy metal rock erupted from his pocket and he pulled his cell phone out with a heavy curse. "This better be good. I'm in the middle of a job." He snapped.

"_Oh it is. I've got an even better job for you." _

"Even better, huh? Better than this trash heap I've got right now?"

"_Yeah. If you can pull this one off, I'll set you up for life." _

The kid's face lit up. "Woah, you're speaking my language, pops."

He put his hand over the phone. "Say thank you, sweetheart, you've just been given a second chance."

The woman blinked, but didn't attempt to say anything through the gag.

"All right, so what do I gotta do?"

" _Meet me at point B and I'll fill you in on the details. It seems I've found our little mice."_

"Woah! You found them? How?"

_"I've got sources. I need you to make sure of their position and I'll give you the direct instructions when I see you." _

The kid grinned as he turned to leave. "Do I get a chance with her once I get to her?"

_"No. She's mine and if you touch her, I'll be sure to kill you very slowly. Got that?" _

"Aw, damn, you're no fun." He said. "Fine. See you at point B."

//ooo//

Sonja pulled herself together as she reached the ground floor and did her best to appear as though nothing were wrong. So what if he didn't want to see her anymore? It's not like she really cared. It was just sudden, that's all. So what if she thought she'd actually found a friend for once in her life?

As she headed for the front entrance, she didn't notice Ursula look up in concern. "Hey, Sonja, what's wrong?" she asked. Sonja stopped.

"Nothing." She said absently. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just tired."

Ursula frowned. "Come on, Sonja, I've been a mother several times over. I know when something's the matter." She said, getting up and going over to her.

Sonja hesitated.

"It's all right, Sonja." Ursula said. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"Well, the thing is…," Sonja said. "Seto said that he doesn't want to talk to me anymore and it was a little sudden, you know."

Ursula sighed and shook her head. "That idiot." She muttered. "Don't you fret about it."

"I'm not." Sonja protested.

"I didn't say you were." Ursula chimed, making Sonja raise an eyebrow in confusion. "But I'll have you know, that boy doesn't yet know what he's trying to find in life. In my opinion, you're probably the best thing to happen to him since Mokuba. You may not have noticed it, but I've seen a subtle change in him these past few weeks."

Sonja shook her head. "No, that can't be right. We hate each other. I think he only talked to me because he had nothing better to do."

"Well then, if you hate him so much, why are you so down about what he said?" Ursula probed with a smug look. Sonja didn't answer and she laughed. "I thought as much." She said. She pulled Sonja over to her desk and reached around her computer. She pulled out a little velvet box and opened it. "Here. I save these for when I'm feeling down."

They were tiny little chocolate mints like you'd find in fancy restaurants.

"Take one." Ursula insisted. "I have a nephew who works at a place where they make these. He gets a fresh supply for me every month. They do wonders when you've been knocked down. In fact, take two, Sonja. You look like you've had a rough week."

Sonja smiled weakly and took one out of the box. "Thanks." She said.

Ursula smiled as Sonja nibbled the mint. "They're perfect for blasting away depression. And don't be so upset. He may be my boss, but if I have to, I'll smack him upside the head for being such an idiot."

Sonja laughed. "No, it's okay. I don't want to get you fired."

"Oh, he wouldn't fire me. He may not like me all that much, but he knows he'll never find a more efficient secretary. Believe me, he should have tried to fire me ages ago."

Sonja smiled. "Thank you, Ursula." She said. "I'll be heading back, now. I need to catch up on some work."

"Take care, dear. And come and visit me, sometime. It gets lonely here."

"I will." Sonja promised as she opened the door. "Good night."

"Goodnight, dear."

Sonja stepped out into the cool night air. She felt a little better after talking to Ursula.

"I think I'll go home and try a new recipe." She said to herself.

//ooo//

Not ten minutes after Sonja got home and had turned on the stove for stir fry, Sophie came through the door holding a stuffed dog. "Look what I won in one of the claw machines!" she exclaimed.

"Wow, nice work!" Sonja complimented. "Those things are hard to win. How many tries did it take?"

"Just two. Mokuba gave me some tricks to use."

"I'm glad you had fun." Sonja said as she chopped up some cabbage. "Are you hungry?"

"Do pigs oink? Of course!" Sophie cried. "What are we having?"

"Stir fry." Sonja said. "I have to go shopping and I'm just throwing in whatever I could find."

"It's okay. Stir fry's the best!" Sophie said. She sat down at the table. "So what did Mr. Kaiba want to talk to you about?" she asked.

Sonja paused. Should she tell her what he'd said?

"Um, he just wanted to know if progress has been picking up." She lied.

"Okay." Sophie answered. She sniffed the air. "Mm. That smells good."

"I haven't even put it in the pan yet, Sophie." Sonja said, chuckling.

While the pan was heating up, Sonja told Sophie to watch it while she went down to lock up the shop for the night. She slowly made her way down the stairs and opened the door. It was pitch black inside so she turned on the lights and set about her usual routines. She checked for dead or dying flowers and picked them out when she found them. She checked the water misters to see that they were in proper working order. She also tallied the day's profits and locked them in the safe in the back of the store.

As she locked the door from the outside and turned to go, she heard someone call her name and turned. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "Joey, Tristan. How are you?"

Her two schoolmates stopped a few feet away. "Just fine." Tristan replied. "We're on our way from paying Yugi a visit."

"Yup." Joey added. "My sister Serenity just left for home today and she asked me to say bye to you for her."

"That was nice." Sonja said. Above them, the window opened and Sophie leaned out. "Hey sis! I just put the stuff in the pan." She said.

"Good. Just keep stirring it around till it browns, okay?" Sonja instructed.

"Hey, smells good." Tristan commented. "What is it?"

"Stir fry. I have to go shopping tomorrow, so I'm using up whatever's left."

At that moment, they all glanced at Joey as his stomach gave a rather loud rumble. He laughed in embarrassment. "Sorry. Kinda got me thinking about what I'm going to do for dinner."

Sonja chuckled and sighed. "Well, I guess there's one thing to do. Hey Sophie!" she called. Sophie's head appeared out the window. "Yeah?"

"How much do you think we have?"

"Enough for leftovers tomorrow. Hey! Are you going to invite them to eat with us?" she asked hopefully.

"Well guys?" Sonja asked them.

"What? You mean it?" Tristan exclaimed.

"Sure. What are friends for. Come on."

Back upstairs, she added the rest of the ingredients to the pan and helped Sophie set the table and brought the steaming pan over, setting it on a hot pad.

Joey and Tristan looked at their food hesitantly for a second after they'd been served. Then, each took a careful bite. "Hey!" Tristan said in surprise. "This is real good. You're a pretty good cook, Sonja."

"Thanks. I took some cooking classes at the other school I went to. I'm glad you enjoy it. It isn't often we have company." She said, looking at Sophie. Sophie swallowed a gulp of milk and nodded. "Yeah!" she said. "This is awesome! Hey, you guys gotta come again next week when she makes Turtle and Flummery Pie."

Both Joey and Tristan choked at that and stared at her. "When she makes _what?!_" they exclaimed in disbelief. Sonja sighed. "Dad always called it that. It's actually a casserole made with biscuits, corn chips, beans and hot dogs. But it's rather difficult to prepare, so I don't make it that often."

"But the curry she makes is the absolute best." Sophie said taking another bite. "I like mixing mayonnaise into it, but she likes hers with a raw egg mixed in."

The two boys exchanged looks of confusion. "I've never heard of food like that." Tristan said.

"Curry is a Japanese stew with many varying ways of preparing it." Sonja said without looking up. She ate her stir fry slowly. "Sophie is a real fan of mayonnaise so I often make meals she can use it with."

"Yeah! I love mayonnaise on eggs and stuff." Sophie said with a grin. "Can I get some more, Sonja?"

"Sure."

Sophie got up to get some more and Sonja stirred hers around to get more flavor from it.

"You know," Joey said. "You two are kinda weird. But you're all right."

"Thank you." Sonja replied. "I can say the same of you and Tristan and the others."

"Amen to that." Sophie added, sitting back down by her sister.

"Well thanks for the compliment." Joey chuckled.

Sonja smiled as Sophie struck up another conversation about favorite foods. Suddenly, this whole ugly mess she'd gotten in seemed far behind her. So there really was some meaning to the phrase happiness is with food and friends. Or at least in her case, with friends.

It almost made her wonder if maybe her karma was about to warp on her.

A/N: Any of you like stir fry? Delicious. Love it! Chicken Curry rocks as well. And any of you who haven't tried it with a raw egg mixed in, you don't know what you're missing. The heat of the curry sort of cooks the egg while it's in there, so any danger of bacteria is virtually wiped. Yummy.


	28. Returning Pain

A/N: Okay, Mayan, you're going to think this whole thing is corny, but it had to be completely rewritten, so it's better than it was before. This chapter's a little disturbing, but it should work. Nothing too horrible, mind you. Enjoy.

Returning Pain

Sonja finished copying down a new order over the phone. "Thank you, I'll have it ready by Tuesday. You can pick it up around three. Have a nice day."

She hung up and started planning this special order. "I have three days before they pick it up." She mumbled. "Better get started."

She glanced up as the door opened. It was Tea.

"Hey, Sonja." She said. "How are you?"

"Okay, I guess." Sonja replied. "How about yourself?"

"Great. I applied to a college out of state to study ballet. It's what I always dreamed of."

"Wow! Congratulations." Sonja commented. "You'll do great."

Tea smiled. "Thanks. So, what's this week's argument about?"

Sonja frowned. "Huh?"

"I saw Mokuba today by the arcade with Sophie. He said that you haven't spoken to Kaiba in a long time and vice versa. What are you guys fighting about now?"

"We're not fighting." Sonja corrected her. "He just told me he no longer wishes to see me anymore. I've just accepted that and well, you know how these things go."

She turned around to file the new order in the cabinet.

"_That jerk_!" Tea shrieked all of a sudden, making Sonja lose her balance on the stool and topple over with a yell. She picked herself up and sighed. "What's wrong, Tea?" she grumbled, resting her chin on the counter.

"I don't get how he could say that to you. I mean, why?"

Sonja sighed and stood up. "We just don't get along. It's for the best."

Tea sighed. "You okay with that?"

"Am I okay with what?"

"With, well that. I mean, he was pretty blunt about it."

Sonja shrugged. "Hey, blame me. I told him to be straightforward." She said. Tea shook her head and sighed again. "Sonja, I don't get you sometimes." She mumbled. She glanced up. Sonja had turned back around. "I get where you're coming from." She said cryptically. "You're right. He was blunt. But that's better than dragging it out. Besides, I have work to catch up on."

She went around to the front door, opened it a crack and reached out to the mailbox fastened to the wall outside. She retrieved the stack of bills and letters and sat back down behind the counter. "Okay." She said. "Junk mail, junk mail. Jeez. Ever since I turned eighteen, all sorts of credit companies and such have been sending me confirmation letters. It's so irritating."

Tea grinned. "Yeah. My mom told me that happens when you reach that age."

Sonja sighed. "Yup. I suppose."

Her fingers paused at one letter in particular, marked with her name and no return address. She hummed and put it aside. "I'll look at that one later." She said. "I'd better get back to work."

Tea frowned. "I just don't know about this whole thing."

"Don't worry so much about it. It's better this way. I'll see you later, Tea." She said with a smile. Tea turned slowly but glanced back concernedly at Sonja as she went into the back room. She sighed and left the shop.

Sonja waited until she heard Tea leave and then went out to the front. She turned the sign to CLOSED and sat down behind the counter. She picked up the anonymous letter and stared at it. As she lifted it up to open it, she heard someone knocking on the window and looked up. She sighed and got to her feet, irritated and wondering whether the kid outside could read. She opened the door. "May I help you?" she asked.

"Yeah." He said. He looked about nineteen or twenty, maybe younger with greasy black hair and eyes, hands shoved in his black jacket. "I know you're closed, but I need a quick order."

"All right, come in." she said. "What can I do for you?"

He glanced away. "Well, the thing is, my girl broke up with me. I wanna make amends, so I thought maybe a bouquet would do the trick."

Sonja smiled. "I got just the thing."

She went into the back room and reemerged with a bunch of red tulips wreathed in Baby's Breath. "This should do it."

"Hey, that's perfect!" the kid exclaimed. "I'll take it."

"That'll be eight-fifty." Sonja said. He handed her the money, she took it and then handed back his change and the flowers. "I hope things turn out well for you." She said.

"Thanks a ton." He said. He hurried out the door.

As soon as he was out of sight of the window, he scowled, turned into an alleyway and tossed the flowers into a trashcan beside him. He whipped out his cell phone and hit SEND to call the previous number. He waited impatiently, tapping his foot on the concrete. Finally, someone picked up. "_Yeah? What is it?" _a gruff voice answered.

"You were right. She's here." The kid said.

"_I knew it. And the little one?"_

"I didn't see her, but the older one's there, so the brat's around here someplace. Want I should snatch her?"

"_No. That'll make Sonja go ballistic and I want her ready to beg for mercy by the time we make our move. I've already taken the first measures." _

The kid frowned. "What's that mean? I thought we agreed I'd see she was here."

"_Yes. But when you were in there, did you see anything on the counter?" _

"Yeah, come to think of it. There was an envelope. Why?"

There was a chuckle on the other end. "_ My plan is to scare her so badly, she'll practically beg me to stop. If that doesn't work, we can always threaten the squirt. Oh, and by the way, in the days you've been watching her for me, have you seen anyone else in her life?" _

"Oh, gotcha. Um, well, I've seen this one guy talking to her a lot, but not recently."

The person on the other end hissed angrily. "_Who was it? Describe him!" _

The kid swallowed. "Uh, well, kind of tall, with brownish hair, and a pretty good duelist. Oh, and he usually wears this white trench coat. Why?"

The person on the other end swore. "_Damn! Of all the people she could have gotten involved with, it had to be Seto Kaiba. He isn't someone you generally want to mess with, but if he gets in the way, kill him. Got that? I don't care what happens, get him out of the picture. That girl belongs to me!" _

The kid pulled the phone away as the person started yelling. "Okay, okay! If he gets in the way, I'll do him in. I get it. But I don't think he'll be a problem. I haven't seen him in a few days."

"_It doesn't matter. That punk had no right entering in my business. I'll be back in Domino in a few more days. I'll let you know when I arrive and what to do after that. Got that?" _

"Yup. Crystal. I'll just keep an eye out, then."

He hung up when the line went dead. "Man, talk about a blow-hard. I almost feel sorry for the brats."

With that, he headed off down the street.

//ooo//

Sonja carefully opened the envelope and removed the paper inside, tossing the envelope itself into the trash can. She scanned the writing, which was actually the old cliché method of using printed letters from various sources to form sentences. Her eyes widened in terror as she read to the bottom of the letter.

" 'I hope you have had a merry life since you escaped. It's all about to come crashing down on you. You won't get away this time.'" She read shakily. She looked up, eyes wide with fear. "Oh dear god, no." she whispered. The paper fell from her hand onto the floor. Her breathing grew quick and shallow and she realized she was the verge of a panic attack. She got up, struggling not to let it take over as she left the shop, not bothering to lock up. Her only thought was to get upstairs. She slammed the door shut and sank down to the floor. Panic attacks were based off a single simple fear the victim was afraid of. For Sonja, it was the fear that she'd pass out as the result of such an attack.

She crawled over to the sofa and lay her head down on the cushion, closing her eyes and slowly regaining her control. "Okay, Sonja," she said once she'd calmed down. "Lets' think this through. He knows where I live obviously, but I can still get the two of us away before he finds us again."

She sat up, crossing her arms beneath her chin. "I can't let him find us. He'll take me and kill Sophie. I can't let him do that!"

A new wave of determination overpowered her fear and she stood up, clenching her fists. "I have a had a pretty good life since I escaped. I'm not about to let that change."

She glanced at the door. "I'm sorry Sophie. Maybe you'll make new friends at the next town."

Once this was muttered, she started to unplug and pack away everything, preparing once more to move away.

//ooo//

"That was so much fun! Thanks for taking me there again." Sophie said as Mokuba walked with her back to the shop. In her arms, she hugged a small stuffed rabbit she'd won at one of the prizes.

"No problem." He said. "You're fun to hang out with. You're the first girl to ever beat me at most of the games in there."

Sophie giggled. "I've always been a gamer at heart. I'm secretly a duelist. I practice with Sonja's cards when she's not around. But I'll never be as good as Sonja."

"Hey, keep practicing. You will." He said with a grin.

They paused outside the shop. Sophie frowned at the CLOSED sign and peered inside. "That's funny. She doesn't usually close the shop for another hour or so. And she's not inside. Maybe she's not feeling well. Oh well." She said, turning to her friend. "Do you want to come upstairs for a snack?"

"Sure. Sounds good." He replied. They raced up the stairs and Sophie cheered when she beat him to the top. "Hehe, I win again!"

"We weren't racing." He grumbled good-naturedly. Sophie snickered and opened the door. Instantly, she froze.

Sonja had just taped a box shut marked 'plates' and glanced up as they entered. Mokuba just stared. "Um, Sonja, what's going on?" he asked. Sonja gasped lightly when she saw her sister. "Sophie." She said.

Sophie had a look of betrayal on her face and she dropped the stuffed rabbit. "Sonja, what are you doing?" she exclaimed. Sonja stood up. "Sophie, listen—" she attempted to say.

"No!" Sophie screamed. "No, you promised we weren't going to move again! You promised!"

"Sophie, please!"

"What are you going to run from now? Huh?" Sophie yelled, tears streaming down her face. "I finally make a friend and you're going to ruin everything we've built up here! Why are we going to move again? You promised me!" she shrieked as Sonja sat down, gazing forlornly at the box. Sophie glared at her, stalked over and with an impressive show of strength, shoved her sister over hard. Sonja just got back up without a word as Sophie continued to pummel her, screaming and crying at the same time. Sonja didn't make any attempt to stop the blows as she sat, taking them in silence.

In the doorway, Mokuba could only watch, petrified. Finally, he hurried forward and grabbed Sophie around the waist, doing his best to pull her away. "Sophie, stop it!" he yelled. He dragged her several feet away and she stopped flailing. By this time, mild purple bruises were already forming on Sonja's arms possibly her shoulders and chest too. Sophie continued to scream nonsense until her words faded to choked sobbing and she collapsed on the floor, shaking crying softly. "You…p-promised," she mumbled.

Sonja just sat on the floor with her eyes closed and Mokuba suspected that she was crying too, albeit silently. "I know." She whispered. "I'm so sorry, Sophie."

She sighed, stood up and knelt down in front of her sister, enveloping her in a hug. "But I'm only doing this to protect us. We can't stay here any longer. It isn't safe in Domino City anymore."

Sophie sniffled and looked up at her, eyes filled with untold fear. "But, I don't wanna move." She whined.

"I don't either, but we don't have a choice anymore." Sonja replied. She got up and heaved the box into her arms, setting it on the sofa. "We won't be leaving for a few days, yet." She said quietly. She seemed to have forgotten Mokuba was there. "In the meantime, I want you to go somewhere safe."

"Where?" Sophie asked. Sonja paused and then glanced at Mokuba. "Do you know where she could go until it's time?" she asked.

Mokuba hesitated to answer. He still had no idea what was going on. "Maybe Yugi could help." He suggested. Sonja nodded. "Good idea. I'll call and ask." She said. "Sophie, go and pack a small bag."

Sophie sighed and nodded.

"Um," Mokuba stammered. "I'll go help."

Once they were out of earshot, Sonja went over to the cordless phone and picked it up. She leafed through the phonebook until she found the number she was looking for. She dialed it in and waited.

"_Hello, Moto residence." _An elderly voice said.

"Um, hi. Is Yugi available? This is a friend from school." She said clumsily.

"_Oh, yes. I'll get him for you." _

She heard him yell Yugi's name and the sound of someone hurrying down a set of stairs. "_Hello?"_ she heard Yugi ask.

"Hey, Yugi, it's Sonja." She said.

"_Oh, hi, Sonja. What's up?" _

"Um, do you think you could do me a favor?"

Ten minutes later, after explanations and a set time, Sophie shuffled out dragging her Scooby-Doo themed suitcase behind her. Mokuba appeared a few seconds later and didn't say a word.

"I'm ready to go." Sophie mumbled.

Sonja sighed. "I really am sorry, sis." She said. She glanced at her friend. "Mokuba, do you think you could walk her over to Yugi's for me? I have to finish."

"Sure." He said. "But are you sure you have to leave?"

Sonja nodded. "Yeah. I am. Tell your brother I'll sort out the legal business of selling the shop myself."

She watched as they left, heading down the street toward Yugi's game shop. Sonja knew Sophie would be safe there. But it didn't still her fast-beating and anxious heart for the danger she knew that she herself was in right now. She had no way of knowing when they'd come, or if she could get them away fast enough. The fastest she'd be able to get a plane ticket away would be the following week at least. And from there, she still had no idea where to go afterwards.

Hands shaking, she made herself a cup of tea and turned on the radio to the jazz network, curling into a ball on the sofa and cradling the mug in her hands. She felt terribly vulnerable and kept casting quick glances at the door.

It was going to be a long night.

//ooo//

The same kid jumped out of a ground floor window with a small burlap sack filled with jewelry and other assorted goods slung over his shoulder. As he hurried away to the alley across the street to examine his haul, his phone rang sharply on the dead quiet street and he answered it with a curse. "What?" he hissed. "You're gonna get me arrested one of these days!"

"_Never mind that. I'm arriving sooner than I figured. Are you near the place?" _

The kid glanced out into the street. He could see the shop several doors down. The lights were off in the bottom floor, but on in the top. He could see a shadow moving about the room.

"Yeah." He said.

"_ Good. I'm just boarding a commuter flight now and I'll be there in about two or three hours. I want you to make sure no one gets in the way. Do whatever you can to keep her in one spot. You'll be generously rewarded if you do this." _

"What about the little brat?"

_"If you see her, just kill her or do whatever you want. But don't lay a hand on the older girl. She's mine." _

The kid sneered. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. So when do you want me to move in?"

"_As soon as you think you're able." _

//ooo//

Sonja placed her mug in the sink and sighed. It was getting dark out. She turned and switched off the radio and took the cordless off its hook. Then, she went into the bathroom, changed into her pajamas consisting of a white T-shirt and red sweatpants and locked the front door. Then, after turning off the lights, she made her way into the bedroom with the cordless and locked that door as well. She climbed into bed and buried herself beneath the blanket, snuggling down into the soft pillow and trying to force herself to go to sleep. But it was too quiet. There were times like this when she wished she could call someone and talk, to soothe her nerves. But there was really no one.

So, heart pounding, nerves fraying, she closed her eyes and slowly slipped away into the bliss of unconsciousness.

//ooo//

It was at least an hour later when she heard something. She opened her eyes and raised herself up on her elbows. She strained her ears for what she was sure she heard, but nothing came. She was about to go back to sleep when there was a distinct _bang_ as the front door was thrown open. Her heart flew into her throat as she gasped sharply. She sat up fully and crawled down onto the floor. She could hear someone walking around in the front—searching for her.

Gasping, she fumbled around for the phone and dialed the number of the one person she could think of. She could only pray he was still there.

"Please, pick up." She whispered. She silently thanked the heavens when someone answered. "_Seto Kaiba." _She heard.

"Seto, it's me." She said, just loud enough that whoever was banging around out there couldn't hear her. "Listen to me, you have to help me."

_"Sonja? What's going on?" _he snapped.

"There's no time to explain. I've been found and they're here. One of them has broken into the apartment. I can hear him out there. It's only a matter of time before he finds me. Please, you have to—"

A sharp splintering of wood as the door exploded inward made her scream suddenly. The phone was snatched from her hand and crushed on the floor as the intruder grabbed her throat and hauled her to her feet.

//ooo//

Kaiba was busy pulling an all-nighter to finish some last-minute work that could put him ahead of schedule when the phone rang. It was odd, since it was ten at night and he didn't usually receive calls on his business line at these hours. He answered. "Seto Kaiba." He said. He was surprised when he heard Sonja's voice on the other end, and she sounded terrified. "_Seto, it's me. Listen, you have to help me." _She exclaimed.

"Sonja? What's going on?" he demanded, dropping the pen he was holding.

_"There's no time to explain. I've been found and they're here. One of them has broken into the apartment. I can hear him out there. It's only a matter of time before he finds me. Please, you have to—"_

There was a muffled explosion and a clatter of objects as Sonja screamed suddenly.

"Sonja!" he yelled in alarm, completely forgetting what he'd told her just a day or so ago. There was a sharp crunch and a crackle in the line as the call went dead. Whoever she'd been talking about had destroyed the phone.

He just stared at the phone in disbelief. Then, in a moment of panic, he dialed the number of the cell phone Mokuba carried. To his relief, he answered.

"_Hey, Seto." _He said calmly. "_What's up?" _

"Mokuba, where are you?" he asked, barely managing to control his voice.

"_I'm with Sophie over at Yugi's. I'll be heading back pretty soon. Why? What's wrong?" _

"Stay where you are, Mokuba. Something's wrong." He said, getting up and shutting his computer down, silently cursing its slowness.

"_What do you mean?" _

"Just stay at Yugi's. I think Sonja's in trouble. I'll call you back later." He aid quickly. He hung up, shut the lid of the laptop and hurried out the door toward the elevator.

It never occurred to him to call the authorities for help.

He reached the lowest levels of the parking garage and unlocked one of the cars. He got in, threw his briefcase into the back seat and started the engine. It didn't matter now that he'd told Sonja he didn't want to talk to her anymore. In truth, he hadn't wanted to tell her that to begin with, it just seemed to be the most reasonable option. But now, he was genuinely worried about her.

As he sped out onto the street, he couldn't quell the nagging feeling of foreboding that kept eating away at him as he got nearer and nearer the shop.

//ooo//

Sonja struggled against her attacker as he shoved her back against the wall, holding some sharp object against her throat. "Well, well," he chuckled. "You aren't that bad looking. Now I know why the boss is so obsessed with you."

Sonja glowered at him furiously. "You're that kid I sold the flowers to!" she gasped as he clenched her throat even tighter.

"Yup. That's me! By the way, name's Mick." he chimed. "Oh, and the girlfriend, Elise, really does exist. But you're way easier on the eyes than she is."

He shrugged. "But damn, if I want my big reward for keeping you here till boss arrives, I'm not supposed to touch you."

An evil glint came into his eyes as he said this. "But hey, I could always say you're lying just to get back at me for this." He said. She gasped sharply when he suddenly attempted to pull the hem of her shirt up. She yanked away as far as she could and slammed her foot into his shin. He hissed in anger and tightened his grip around her throat, forcing her head backwards into the wall with a sharp thud and stunning her. "You little—" he started to say. He stopped suddenly when a dull pounding resounded through the walls. His eyes narrowed.

"_Sonja! Open this door!"_ he heard someone yell. Sonja's eyes widened. "Seto!" she exclaimed. Mick grabbed a fistful of her hair and gave it a hard tug. "Listen to me!" he snapped. "You'll do what I say and tell that creep to leave."

"Why should I?" she demanded. He shoved the weapon up against her jugular. "Because I'll just have to slaughter him and hurt you a teensy weensy little bit." He taunted. Sonja gulped and allowed herself to be pushed forward through the ruined doorway and toward the front door.

"Say you're coming." Mick hissed to her.

"I'm…I'm coming!" she stammered weakly. She felt the tip of what had to be a knife poke into her back. He ducked behind the door, the knife to her back. "I'll hide back here while you tell him to leave. No funny business, or else." He snapped. She shakily reached forward and unlocked the door. The minute the locked clicked out, the door was thrown open and it was all she could do to keep it only halfway opened. Kaiba pushed against it and stepped in a little. "Sonja, what's going on?" he demanded.

"Uh," she stumbled. "N-Nothing. I was sleeping."

"How stupid do you think I am, Sonja?" he snapped. He tried again to push the door open, but she did her best to hold it where it was. She felt the knife break her skin a little bit and the tiny trickle of blood escape from the cut. She visibly winced and Kaiba noticed. He frowned at her skeptically and she nodded to her right just a little. He followed her gaze and saw, just barely visible beneath her arm holding the door closed, the figure of another arm holding something to her back. "Why did you call me?" he asked, while making an obvious act of bracing his hand against the door and preparing to push it back. Sonja carefully loosened her grip. "I didn't." she said. "I told you, I was sleeping."

She nodded when she felt the knife's pressure lessen a little.

Kaiba suddenly flung all of his weight against the door, effectively slamming something back against the wall behind it. He heard the yell as he hit the attacker and moved into the room, pushing Sonja behind him out of harm's way. He watched carefully as Mick stumbled out, clutching his bruised forehead and glowering at him. "You creep." He hissed. "I'll kill you!" he yelled, charging forward and slashing out at him with the knife. Kaiba ducked aside and lashed out, grabbing him by the collar of his coat and throwing him forcefully back against the counter. Mick smacked his head on the porcelain surface and slumped to the floor, knocked out.

Kaiba waited a second to make sure he was out before turning to Sonja. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah. Thanks." She said shakily. His eyes narrowed. "Sonja, I think it's about time you owed me an explanation." He said. "Go get dressed. You're coming with me."

She turned and headed back into her bedroom. Five minutes later, she reemerged in a blue hooded shirt and blue jeans.

"Lets' go." Kaiba said. He glanced over at Mick again. He was still out cold.

"I'm sorry about all this." Sonja said quietly.

He just looked at her curiously, but said nothing.

A/N: So, this was this chapter. Yeah. I won't be updating until sometime next week after I get to Washington and have my dad look at the cord on my external hard drive the story's saved on. I can't get it to link up with my computer anymore for some reason. In any case, I'll keep writing, but so I can keep up with the story, I won't update for a week or so. I promise one as soon as I can.


	29. Forbidden Truth

A?N: Okay, since I'm leaving on a trip on Sunday, I decided to update now. For the record, I decided I'll scrap the version on the E.H and just keep writing. There wasn't much new stuff, anyhow. Anyway, this is the biggie. The chapter where everything is explained!!! Some of you won't like this, guaranteed, and some of you may yell and flame me. Heck, Sonja's been appearing in my dreams and (typical dream scenario) throwing fish at me for this. Just go easy on me.

Forbidden Truth

"We can't stay near this place." Sonja said as Kaiba started the engine. She sat in the passenger seat staring into the side mirror. "He'll have people watching the shop. He probably knows that you're involved in all of this, so he'll have people watching your headquarters as well."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Then what can we do?" he asked speculatively.

"The only thing we can do is probably to hide somewhere close by where we can watch them, but they can't see us. At least until it's safe."

Kaiba nodded and pulled out into the street. "I'll pull into an alley about a half-mile from here that I've seen on occasion." He said. "I'd like to hear the reason why these thugs are after you."

Sonja sighed and looked out the window. "I suppose you have a right to know. Especially after what you did back there."

As they drove further away from the shop, she seemed to pull into herself as a sort defense mechanism. He'd known for a long time that their pasts were quite similar. But there was a major difference involved. He'd had the self-confidence and the drive to change his life. She'd only had the will to survive as long as Sophie was safe. This lack of confidence left a scarring reminder for her about how hard of a life it had been for her.

He kept casting glances into the rearview mirror to make sure no one was following them.

"I'll let you know if they follow us." She said solemnly. "If they do, they'll try to run us off the road. They'll do anything in their power to kill you for daring to interfere with him."

Here, his eyes widened and he focused even more on getting them away from this whole thing.

Finally, he spotted the little turnoff he passed all the time and this time, turned into it. It was actually a little back road that led to the seawall. The buildings on either side of them were abandoned or crumbling, so there was no chance they'd be seen by anyone they didn't want to see them. He shut the engine off and leaned back with a sigh. He kept his ears trained for any sign that they'd been followed. If that were the case, they'd be forced to leave the car, since this was a dead end and their pursuer would probably try to box them in.

But after five minutes, he heard nothing and saw nothing. The back road they were in was completely dark, but he didn't dare turn on a light in case whoever was after Sonja drove by and happened to look this direction. He was silently glad he'd picked the black car.

Neither of them said anything. Kaiba figured that Sonja was listening too. Either that, or she was still in shock.

"Sonja," he said. He couldn't see her, but he hoped she was listening. "I don't think they're still following us."

"They are." She said. "They just haven't found us yet. But when he gets back here, he'll tell them to stop so he can look for me himself. The best thing I can do is just to move again."

Kaiba frowned, reached over and grabbed her shoulder. "No." he snapped. "The best thing you can do is to fight back. Whoever this nutcase is, he's ruining your life. You shouldn't have to take this. You're stronger than that."

"But what can I do?" she asked softly. "I've been fighting him ever since we ran away."

"That reminds me." Kaiba said. "Just who is this guy?"

"Do you really want to know? If I tell you, it'll only put you in more danger. I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me." She said.

"If I cared about that, I wouldn't have come to get you." He grumbled.

Sonja sighed. "Okay. But don't say I didn't warn you."

She paused, as though wondering where to begin. Finally, she took a breath. "When my dad was in college, he became friends with one of his classmates. This was before he met my mom a few years later. The guy's name was Allan Muggs."

Kaiba froze. _That's the name I read in the book!_

"They were pretty good friends, getting into mild trouble, hanging out, that sort of thing. But one day, my dad stumbled in on Allan and some other guys exchanging various kinds of drugs, like cocaine and other sorts. It turned out that Allan was the lord of a small ring and he wanted my dad to join. But dad refused, instead taking his information to the authorities. Somehow, Allan managed to keep himself out of the courts, but his entire ring was lost to what my dad knew. Allan made it his mission to get back at dad for ratting him out.

"By now, Allan's probably regained his drug lord status and his empire has grown several times over since the incident. By the time he'd gotten close enough to the top that he could act however he wanted toward his enemies underneath his boss at the time, dad had met mom and gotten married. Soon after, they had the three of us to care for."

"Three?" Kaiba asked. Here, Sonja gave a shaky sigh. "Me, Sophie and…and my older brother, Samuel." She choked. She swallowed and continued. "Sam was such a great brother. He played the guitar as a hobby and wrote songs. He wrote several for me and often sung them to me to see how they sounded. Whenever he went out with his girlfriend, he sometimes took me along and we'd all hang out together. Trisha didn't mind in the slightest."

She sighed. "I'm getting off track. Well, Allan contacted dad, threatening mom and the three of us. He gave dad an ultimatum: either join the ring or risk his family. Dad didn't want either, but he didn't want to get us all in trouble with the law, so he refused to join. He set it up so he could work from home. That way, mom, me, Sophie and Sam wouldn't be left alone. By this time, Sam was about eighteen."

She stopped talking and Kaiba waited for her to recompose herself. He heard a car rush past behind them and he instinctively turned, expecting to see headlights bearing down on them. But there was nothing but the empty street.

"Dad did everything for us. He did his best to protect us. Up until a certain point, Sophie and I never really got along that well. In fact, Sam was always the peacemaker between us. But then something happened to change all that. My memories of the events are still hazy, but I remember one evening, Trisha came over to watch a movie and hang out. They were planning to watch some horror movie after Sophie and I had gone to bed. But while mom and dad were out and the two of us were still awake, Sam put on my favorite Disney movie, _Aladdin. _After awhile, we started to get sleepy so Sam and Trisha took us up to our room. I remember Sam always used to call me Snowball for my white hair. Trisha tucked Sophie in while Sam said goodnight to me. Then, they both went downstairs and I could hear the other movie being put on. I tried to go to sleep before the scary parts started."

She stopped again. "Sorry." She muttered. He didn't say anything. He knew that telling him all of this was hard for her, but he had to know. He wouldn't be able to help if he didn't know the details.

"Take your time." He said after a minute of contemplation.

"Well, I remember screaming and a loud sound, like a lightning strike. But I was so sleepy by then that I was sure it was part of the movie. I fell back asleep. Awhile later, I was shaken awake when mom pulled me into her arms. She was crying and Sophie was sitting in dad's lap, staring around at the commotion going on around her. I could hear voices downstairs. I remember mom kept thanking somebody that we were okay. I remember that she held me for a long time, rocking me back and forth until I fell back asleep in her arms."

She sighed heavily. "The next morning, I woke up. I didn't really recall what had happened that night. When I went downstairs, I found policemen sitting at our kitchen table and talking to my parents. They saw me and smiled sympathetically, though at the time, it was just a smile to me. Mom explained that they were going to ask me some questions later on. Dad took me aside into the living room and sat me down on the couch. He told me that sometime the night before, someone had broken into our house. They'd taken Trisha and Sam somewhere far away and then…well, their bodies had been found in the bay the next morning. Sam had had his school ID on him. They'd been shot twice in the head. It took me a second to register what dad had just told me. I was thinking how it couldn't have been true, how he had to have been lying. My brother couldn't be dead. But I didn't say anything. I became like a zombie as I was led back into the kitchen. The officers attempted to ask me about what I remembered, but all I could do was shake my head. Finally, they let me go back to my room.

"The next day, I attempted to go back to normal. I convinced myself that Sam was still alive, just not in the house. I started trying to rebuild my every day life. I started to follow Sam's example and treat Sophie better. I remember that mom and dad did their best not to mention Sam around the two of us. I could see that it pained them. At the time, I didn't know that Allan was behind the whole thing."

She paused yet again. Kaiba could only stare in bewilderment. By now, his eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he could see her sitting and staring at her hands.

"That was only the beginning." She continued. "About a year later, I was nine or ten years old. I was awakened to the sound of a struggle downstairs. Since Sam's death, I'd been able to piece together the facts and I knew that Sam had been killed out of spite. I had a hunch that Sophie and I were next. Without thinking, I threw on some old clothes, tossed a few belongings into a backpack and escaped out the bedroom window with Sophie. Before we left, I saw the intruders tear apart out bedroom, searching for us. I saw my mom try to stop them, unaware that we weren't in the room anymore. Then, I heard it as the sirens drew nearer and the men escaping as the police arrived. My parents were arrested when large amounts of drug contents were discovered in our home. They'd been placed there by Allan's thugs. I knew I had to leave and try to survive without my parents. As time went by, I moved us from town to town, surviving on whatever we could find. I learned how to steal without getting caught. I also grew street smart, which helped whenever we were ganged up on by tougher kids. It seemed as though living in the streets would suffice until we could find a home. But I was wrong. Winters were hard. A year or so after we left, Sophie developed bronchitis to the point where she had to fight to breathe. I was afraid it would turn into pneumonia so I swallowed my pride and went for help at the nearest house. Now, I don't know whether or not this was fate, or just bad karma, but somehow, it ended up being one of Allan's houses. Though I didn't know his connection to us at the time, I was grateful that he helped us out. He employed the best care for Sophie and took us in. At first, I was suspicious that he was so hospitable to two little urchins off the street. But as a few weeks went by, I came to trust him just a little.

"About two months later, Sophie was doing better and we were playing a game in my room. Allan came in and asked to speak to me. I agreed and followed him into his study. He told me that he wanted me to do some work for him. He said he was in charge of a small company and he needed my help in order to advance sales. I had no idea what he meant or what he did for a living, but I had since lost some of my wariness and agreed to help."

"I'm guessing it was rather menial." Kaiba ventured.

"That's putting it lightly. Now, even Sophie doesn't know about what I was being forced to do, so this stays between us." She snapped. "A few days later, one of Allan's female servants came in, saying she had something for me to wear for 'work'. She laid it out on the bed for me. It was then that I got a slight inkling of what I'd gotten myself into."

"Do I really want to know what the outfit was?" he asked cautiously.

"I don't know. Do you?"

He thought a moment. "No, I don't. Go on." He said finally.

"Good. Because I don't really want to describe it. In any case, it was demeaning, not to mention something I'd never even consider wearing for any reason, and I adamantly refused to wear it at first. But that's when I first saw how cruel Allan really was. At first, he acted understanding, but then, he told me that if I didn't wear it to 'work', I'd probably come home to find Sophie missing. So, grudgingly, I put on the outfit as he handed me a box full of something or other. He told me to go to a certain old run-down building on the opposite side of town. His driver would take me there. I was to sell every piece of the contents to anyone willing to pay for them. And he gave me another instruction."

She hesitated at this one. "He said that, if the customers didn't prefer the contents of the box, they…could choose." She said. It took a moment to register, but in a quick fury, he sat up straight and glared at her. "What?" he exclaimed. "Does that mean what I think it does?"

"Hey, you wanted to know the whole story and every stupid fact counts. Lets' just move on, shall we?" she muttered bitterly. "In any case, Allan wanted me to sell drugs he acquired from various other lords in different regions. He operated his in the Kanto region. It shows you how far I went to escape him, only to end up as his prisoner again.

"We stayed under his control for three years. I was forced to do the dirty work under the threat that Sophie would be taken away if I didn't. She was all I had left. I couldn't bear to lose her. I knew I couldn't take much more of this life, so I started to launder money from the jobs he sent me on. By the time I was fourteen, I'd amassed a small fortune in stolen profits. Allan never bothered to count what I brought home every week because he was sure I was too scared of him to try to fight back. Without him knowing, I went online and reserved plane tickets for Sophie and myself, to this city. Domino City seemed the perfect escape, since it was on the other side of the world and not one of the obvious cities out there. I registered us under different names and purchased our tickets with money left over to get us started. I planned it that way so we wouldn't be stuck without any shelter once we got here. I used that money to eventually open my flower shop. We planned to leave a week later. Our original plan was for Sophie to sneak out a few minutes after I left to sell drugs for Allan. I'd change into a different set of clothing and a couple of wigs I'd bought just for this occasion. We'd take a taxi to the airport, board the plane and be halfway across the Pacific by the time Allan noticed our absence. Unfortunately, plans often go awry. In my hurry to reserve our one chance to escape, I'd failed to notice a change in Allan's attitude toward me. It seemed as though I'd grown a bit since I arrived at his house with Sophie. I suppose this made him think somewhat differently about me. Or maybe he'd always had these thoughts, but didn't really make it obvious till then.

The night before we were supposed to escape, I was attempting to sleep. Many nights before, I often heard Sophie come into my room to sleep with me, because she never felt safe in her own room. I heard my door open and figured it was Sophie. I felt a sudden stifling weight on my chest and I started to panic. Allan had pinned me down to the mattress, covering my mouth with his hand as he told me to behave myself. I bit his hand, so he cursed and slapped me. I started to try to escape and he grabbed my throat. It was getting hard to breathe, so while I still had some air, I screamed as loud as I could. He hit me again and told me that if I fought him, Sophie would disappear. Before he could really do anything, Sophie ran in and hit him several times with a frying pan or something. She knocked him out and we chose right then to make our getaway. I'd already packed our things and we just grabbed them and ran. I suppose the rest is history, but now you know. Within three weeks, I arrived at Domino High School, even madder than before and decided to take my rage out on the first person I talked to."

She sighed. "And that's it. There's nothing more to tell." She said.

Kaiba just stared out the windshield, immensely disturbed. So that explained her immense distrust of everyone she met when they all met her. And since he was the first person she really talked to, she'd attempted to take her rage out on him.

"I do have one question." He said. "What about the duelist from Osaka?"

She grinned sheepishly. "That was me. I wasn't really trying to hurt people. And I didn't really take their cards. Some sore loser just said that so I'd get caught. I'd taken my deck with me when we fled from our house and I dueled for fun, disguised as someone else so no one would recognize me."

Kaiba shook his head. "Sonja, if we meet this creep tonight, he'll be lucky if I don't kill him." Kaiba said. At that moment, however, his cell phone started to ring. He answered it. "Seto Kaiba."

"_Look, you punk, I know you've got her._"

Kaiba scowled. "You must be Allan." He sneered, making Sonja do a double take in his direction. "How'd you get my number?"

_"I've got my sources. But lets' cut the crap. We're both businessmen, so how about we make a deal. You bring Sonja to KaibaCorp headquarters in twenty minutes, and you'll get two brats in exchange for one. Sound fair?" _

Kaiba's eyes widened in alarm. "What do you mean? Explain yourself!" he demanded.

Allan chuckled. "_It just so happens that we discovered the hiding place of the Gavens squirt and a second squirt in hiding with her. They're here with me right now. You got twenty minutes. It's up to you." _

Kaiba was seething. If he was telling the truth, then Mokuba was in real trouble. Any threats to his brother made him angry.

_"Before I go, give the phone to Sonja. I'd like to have a word with her." _

"Why should I?"

"_I seem to recall saying that we've got your brother and Sonja's precious baby sister. Mind doing what I say now?" _

Kaiba growled and handed the phone to Sonja. "Don't let him get to you." He said. She took the phone. "Allan, why the hell can't you leave us alone?" she cried angrily.

_"Because, Sonja, you need to pay your father's debt to me for ratting me out. And since your daddy's no longer around to protect you, it's only fitting that you do it instead. Besides, I'm looking forward to having you back under the same roof. I'll give you some sweet memories to keep before I kill you." _

He hung up and Sonja handed the phone back without a word. Her fists were clenched tightly in her lap and she was shaking hard. Kaiba glanced at her.

"Sonja, are you all right?" he asked carefully.

"That's it." She snapped. "Please take me to where he is. I don't care if he's telling the truth about them or not. I'm going to face him and get this over with so I can finally move on."

Kaiba frowned. "Fine." He said. He started the engine and pulled out into the street. "But know this," he said as he headed in the direction of the main building. "You aren't alone in this. You realize that, right?"

"I know." She said quietly. "But I don't want you to get hurt. Allan's more than capable of killing without a thought. He's actually worse than Marik was. At least Marik could revive his victims when he wanted to. Allan kills anyone who gets in his way."

Kaiba just kept his eyes on the road. For all he'd heard tonight, it was no longer a question of doubt that kept him from protecting Sonja. It was a question of pride. And to heck with it, she trusted him. Of course, he wasn't about to tell her that. There were limits to everything. But as far as creeps like Allan went, he wasn't about to let someone just ruin her life.

They were almost there.

A?N: Okay, raise your hands. How many of you hate Allan's guts and you only just met him. I was mad when I created him. And, the mystery of the duelist of Osaka is solved. I originally had a bigger plot for that, but I sort of lost it somewhere between the beginning and the virtual world area. Sorry. Anyway, the big showdown is coming up! And there's an even bigger one after that! If Kaiba's out of character here, please let me know so I can fix it. I'm trying my hardest to keep him in character, even in OOC scenarios. Be nice!!!!!! T_T


	30. Sonja's Final Stand

A/N: Okay, it was mentioned that some part of this story didn't make any sense, so I'm going to try to fix it. Let me know how it sounds and please don't be mad at me for this.

Sonja's Final Stand

The lights were on in the ground-floor office and from the street, it didn't look as if anybody was there.

"I wonder if he was telling the truth." Sonja muttered.

"We can't afford to second-guess ourselves now." Kaiba said. He turned off the engine. "I'm going in." he said. "Stay here until I've made sure it's safe."

"Are you nuts?" Sonja exclaimed. "I'm not letting you go in there with some psycho after us. Remember, it's me he wants, you're the one who's interfering with his plan and he'll just want to kill you."

"I'm not just going to stand by and let this creep terrorize your life, Sonja."

"I wish you would. There's a fifty-fifty chance you'll come out of there alive if you do this."

He didn't seem phased. "Wait here." He said. She grabbed his arm. "No! If you find him, you'll be killed for sure."

"Let go, Sonja." He said calmly, pulling away. She turned and got out, attempting to stop him as he started up the steps. "Just listen to me. You don't know what this guy's like!" she said.

Kaiba sighed irritably. "Fine. If you wait by the door where you can see what's going on, will you be quiet?"

Sonja glanced over at the door and realized she'd definitely be able to see everything that happened from the side wall, but no one inside would be able to see her. "I suppose." She said. "But if anything happens, I'm doing what I have to."

He knew what she meant by that. She meant that if he became threatened in any way, she'd step in and give herself up. He knew better than to argue, since nothing would change her mind from here on in. Leaving her behind, he made his way up to the door, entered the security password into the code-box on the wall outside and the door slid open. That was one way to open the door, but apparently, it hadn't been locked in the first place. He stepped inside and looked around as the door slid shut behind him. Ursula must have gone home hours ago and he didn't see anyone else. This didn't explain how the lights were on. It was almost eleven at night. No one should be here. That meant Allan or one of his cronies was somewhere in the building.

He didn't see any signs of Mokuba or Sophie being here either. He made his way further inside the building, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of movement.

"All right," he said aloud. "I know you're here somewhere. Show yourself!"

There was nothing at first. He was starting to think that maybe the lights had been left on by accident when he felt something was wrong.

"Don't move!" someone hissed. Kaiba frowned. He felt something touch his back between the shoulder blades.

"One move and you'll be dead before you knew what happened."

Past dueling experience had made him perpetually calm in any stressful situation. Any other person would have panicked in a case like this. Not him. He remained perfectly still, hardly daring to breathe. "You're Allan, aren't you?"

"Shut up! I'm the one asking the questions you stupid kid!" Allan yelled. "Move forward, toward the wall."

Knowing he held some kind of weapon against him, he knew it was smarter to obey and wait for his chance to strike back. He slowly walked forward until he reached the wall and then turned around. That in itself was a risky action, but he did it in such a way that it didn't appear to pose as threatening, so Allan let it slide. Here, Kaiba got his first look at the man who had tormented Sonja's entire life and ruined her childhood. Allan was at least in his early forties with greasy blond hair and gnarled features as though he'd been in many fights during his lifetime.

In his hands, he held some kind of gun aimed at him. Allan chuckled. "Sizing me up, eh? You won't be able to beat me. I don't know what Sonja saw in you to trust you with her dirty little secret, but it ain't gonna be that way for long. You're just a punk kid who got himself in too deep."

Kaiba let all of this go past him as he kept a close eye on Allan.

He had to think quickly if he wanted to get out of this mess alive.

//ooo//

Sonja watched from the door, fighting the urge not to run in and tell Allan to let him go. She knew that Kaiba wasn't stupid by any means and he was handling the situation very admirably. She had to trust him.

In the meantime, she had to get the gun away from Allan. Allan would only toy with Kaiba for a few minutes. What she was afraid of was that whether she showed herself or not, Allan would kill him anyway. She'd lost too many people since she'd crossed paths with him. She'd be damned if she was going to lose another.

She stood up, moving carefully toward the door. It hadn't made a noise when it slid open when Kaiba entered. She hoped it wouldn't make a noise now.

She pushed it open. It moved silently, much to her pounding heart's gratitude. She moved to the right toward a potted plant to plan her next move.

However, the door didn't close nearly as quietly as it opened. It made a clicking noise as it met its counterpart. Sonja ducked behind the plant.

Allan turned around, but then faced Kaiba again too quickly for Kaiba to snag the gun. "Hm." He said. "Thought I heard something."

Kaiba knew he had to keep Allan talking and decided to appeal to his ego.

"Why do you keep chasing Sonja and her sister?" he asked.

"Hell, I could care less about her sister. It's Sonja I want!" he exclaimed.

Sonja crept out from behind the plant, realizing what Kaiba was trying to do. She was afraid that any second, she'd hear the gun go off. Slowly, ever so slowly, she made her way forward, towards Allan.

"Why do you want Sonja?" Kaiba asked, watching Sonja out of his peripheral vision. He didn't dare look directly at her. Allan burst out laughing, taking his eyes off his target for the briefest second, allowing Kaiba to glance at Sonja for just a second and then back at Allan. She'd collapsed on the floor and was crawling forward without a sound.

"How old are you kid?" Allan chuckled. "Eighteen, nineteen? Heck, why would anyone want her? She's damn hot, that's why!"

He started laughing again and Kaiba saw Sonja roll her eyes in disgust.

"She just ain't aware of it!" Allan added. "Thanks to her, I sold more inventory in three years than I did in my whole life! And all it took was sharing her once or twice in order to do it, too! However, there's the little matter of that little creep and her sister beating the daylights outta me and stealing _my _money in order to run away from me. 'Course, I can't allow that, now can I?" he asked sadistically.

Kaiba bristled, disturbed. There was something _really _wrong with this guy. But out of the corner of his eyes, the look on Sonja's face made him somewhat glad that she was on his side. She stood up directly behind Allan, trembling with rage. Allan was doubled over laughing triumphantly and Kaiba realized that if he was going to get a chance to grab the gun, this was his chance. He slowly reached forward and Sonja's eyes widened in alarm.

Allan straightened up suddenly and whipped the gun up, aimed at his face. "Nice try, kid. But it'll take more than that to get me. I think I've had enough of you. So just tell me where Sonja is and I might let you live with a few injuries."

"I can think of about forty other things I'd rather do than tell you where she is." He smirked. _Seeing as she's right behind you shows you how stupid you are. _

"Damn smart mouth." Allan snapped. "I'll look for her myself. In the meantime," he said as he took aim. "Been nice chatting with you."

Now, Sonja reacted instantly. She flew forward and threw her arms around Allan's neck, yanking him backwards and causing him to pull the trigger, just missing Kaiba. Allan yelled and flailed in an attempt to throw her off as she reached for the gun.

"You little—Let go of me now!" Allan shouted. He reached back and tried to throw her off as she finally got her hand around the weapon and let go, stumbling backward and shakily aiming towards him. Allan held his hands up defensively. "N-Now Sonja, don't act rashly." He said.

Breathing hard, Sonja answered "Shut up."

Allan scowled. "You have some nerve talking to me like—"

He yelped as Sonja fired a warning shot at the floor, not even hesitating at the powerful jump. Kaiba frowned. Clearly she'd handled a gun before, but he wondered if she could really use it. Hitting the floor was one thing. Hitting a moving target was another.

"I said shut up!" Sonja exclaimed furiously. "You have some nerve walking into my life and ruining everything for me! You took away my brother! You took away my parents and my home! You took my childhood and threatened to take my sister. Thanks to you, the only thing I have left is my pride! I'm not going to let you take away the one person to show me respect since I lost everything to you. You treated me no better than an animal while you had us. And you even dared to get mad at me for fighting back when you _attacked me!_ I just wish I'd had the nerve to say this without forcing you to stare down the barrel of a gun. You're no better than those potheads you sell your inventory to. In fact, they're better than you are."

Allan chuckled nervously. "Yeah, whatever, now give me the gun, Sonja." He said through gritted teeth. It was pretty obvious he planned to do a heck of a lot worse to her once he got the gun back. He was mad now.

"No." Sonja said. She closed one eye as she took careful aim. "I don't care anymore. This is the revenge I've dreamed of since living in the streets where every day was a test of survival."

Her finger braced on the trigger. Kaiba stepped forward. "Sonja, stop." He said. She glanced toward him, not moving from her position. Her hands remained steady on Allan, who remained stunned, probably because he'd always been sure Sonja was too afraid to stand up to him.

"Why?" she asked.

"As much as you want to, and as much as he deserves it, you can't kill him, Sonja." Kaiba said. Sonja looked away dejectedly. He knew how badly she wanted this. "Seto, he took everything away from me and when I say everything, I mean it literally." She said bitterly.

"Sonja, I understand." He said. And he really did. "But to kill him would bring you down to his level. Besides, there are far worse punishments than death, Sonja."

Sonja stared at him a moment and then sighed.

She lowered the gun.

Neither of them saw the glint that came into Allan's eyes. He discreetly reached into his coat pocket and pulled something out.

Kaiba took out his cell phone and gave it to her. "Call the police." He said. "I'll make sure Allan doesn't leave."

Sonja nodded. "Right." She said.

But as she turned around to look for a signal, Allan whipped out a jack-knife from his pocket and slashed at Kaiba as he charged toward Sonja. Kaiba grunted in pain as a deep gash was opened in his arm, but he felt his blood run cold when he heard Sonja cry out all of a sudden. He turned in time to see Allan, having surprised and pinned Sonja to the ground, stabbing the knife into her chest several times. Ignoring his own injury, he reached down with his good arm and picked up the gun where it had fallen, moving over quickly to Allan and shoving it up against his face. Allan froze in the act of raising the knife one more time. "Hey!" he yelled. "Don't shoot!"

"Back away from Sonja." Kaiba hissed. "Don't think for a moment that I don't know how to use a gun."

Which was a total lie, since firing a gun properly was the one thing he was sure he'd never be able to do in his lifetime. Allan nodded and got up, backing away as Kaiba followed him with the gun.

"Okay, listen, don't shoot." Allan said desperately.

"One thing I hate is a coward." Kaiba snapped. He pulled his arm back and bashed the barrel of the gun against Allan's forehead, knocking him unconscious. Then, he dropped it and hurried over to Sonja. She was already going into shock from severe blood loss. His eyes widened at the extent of her injuries. Blood poured freely out of them and he could hear that her breath was terribly labored. Allan had to have slashed a lung, if not both of them.

"It hurts." She whimpered.

"Hang on, Sonja. I'm calling for help." He said, reaching for his cell phone from his pocket. He winced as he moved his bad arm and tried to ignore it. He quickly dialed 9-1-1 and waited impatiently for an answer. Finally, an operator picked up. He relayed brief information and told them to hurry and then hung up and returned to where Sonja lay fighting for air. He racked his brain for something he could do to slow the blood flow without hurting her further.

"Sonja," he said. "You have to stay awake. Okay?"

"I can't…breathe." She gasped.

"Sonja, listen to me." He said. He started to ask her questions to keep her focused. "What's the name of your favorite card?" he asked.

"Hyozanryu." She said weakly. Kaiba could hear the sirens in the distance.

"All right. Uh, what's your sister's middle name?" he had to keep her thinking.

"Celeste." She answered. She started to cough and this worried him. If her lungs were damaged, she could drown on her own blood.

"Stay with me, Sonja, now listen." He said. He heard the ambulance pull up outside. "They're here to help you, now don't fall asleep." He urged.

She was coughing again and this time, his fear had been realized.

She was coughing up blood. Her lungs had indeed been damaged.

The medics hurried inside and he quickly got out of the way, watching from a short distance as they loaded her onto a stretcher and shouted out hurried medical jargon to one another. One of them turned to him. "Come on!" he yelled.

This surprised him. He wasn't family, but they must have thought he was. He wasn't about to correct them, so he ran after them toward the ambulance and was allowed inside to accompany her to the hospital. He understood enough of their garbled chatter to understand that she was in very critical condition. But they'd only know more when they got her to the hospital. They told him to sit down out of the way while they fixed a respirator mask to her face. One of them turned to him. "She's at the very least going to need a transfusion. Do you know what her blood type is?"

"No." Kaiba said.

The medic swore and turned to the driver, yelling at him to step on it. As the ambulance pulled away, police cars arrived and looking out the back window, he saw them rush inside and surround Allan. There'd be a trial for sure, since the knife was still back there and Allan's fingerprints would confirm that he'd stabbed Sonja multiple times.

As he glanced over at Sonja, barely breathing through the respirator, he made himself a new promise. It didn't matter whether she lived or died. No matter what, he was going to do everything in his power to make sure Allan paid, and dearly.

//ooo//

The ambulance reached the hospital in record time and Sonja was transferred to a gurney as the medics hurried her straight into surgery. A doctor who'd been alerted ahead of time rushed after them, already set to perform the operation. He looked at Kaiba as he passed and yelled, "Stay nearby. We may need to talk to you later on!"

Kaiba wondered what he could possibly do to help. He sat down on a bench in the hallway to wait it out.

A little while later, Kaiba looked at the clock. It had been an hour and a half. A doctor had arrived to tell him the extent of the damage sometime before. Sonja had had both of her lungs slashed open. Apparently, Allan had known exactly what he was doing. He'd driven the knife precisely through her rib cage and into the most vulnerable parts of the organs. She was still in danger of dying and while one of her lungs could be repaired, the other didn't stand a chance, so a new one had been requested and they were waiting on it. The doctor said that it could arrive that night, or it could take a few days or weeks. As long as Sonja remained in a stable condition with one functioning lung, she'd be relatively okay. A human being, possessing doubles of several organs, could survive with only one of that particular kind. Already, the dead organ had been removed and Sonja, though still critical, was stable.

It was then, though, that the doctor noticed Kaiba's own injury he'd received from Allan.

"Uh, have you had that looked at?" he asked concernedly. Kaiba glanced down at his arm. The bleeding had slowed, but because of the black color of his sleeve, no one had noticed. Frankly, he'd forgotten about it until now. And now, it was starting to hurt again. "I haven't." he said.

He allowed the doctor to examine the cut, as his sleeve had been ripped open thanks to Allan.

"Well, it's not deep, so it should heal. But I suggest wrapping it with something until the risk of infection passes."

So now, a half hour later, He was back to waiting outside surgery with a fresh bandage over the cut. The doctor had been somewhat surprised. His blood had clotted the cut unusually quickly, so he hadn't lost much to begin with.

But he was still worried about Sonja. He wondered if a donor would come forward with the lung she needed. And if not, how would she get used to living with one working lung?

But apparently, he was still able to help. The same doctor came by a little while later and informed him that while the test he'd taken on his blood showed no growing infection from the cut, it provided them with a way for him to help the surgery. It turned out that he and Sonja had the same blood type, and there were no ready samples on immediate hand for the surgery as quickly as she needed them. So twenty minutes after he'd had his injury bandaged, a different doctor, tall, dark-skinned man with thin reading glasses appeared with a proposition.

"Are you by any chance family of the patient?" he asked.

Kaiba had already been asked that a few times. He'd come up with a relatively suitable answer that would suffice until Sophie arrived. "Cousin." He replied.

"Would you mind if we drew some blood for your cousin? I'm afraid that it's rather urgent she receive it."

Kaiba didn't care. He stood up and followed the doctor into another room. He already knew the procedure and he'd been prepared in case of this situation. As he sat down and rolled up his sleeve, he asked the doctor how the operation was progressing, silently wary of the answer.

The doctor hesitated to answer. "Well," he said. "Better than we'd hoped, but it's still not looking good. A donor for the lung she needs hasn't stepped forward yet. We may have to continue the surgery and she'll live with only one functioning lung. Mind you, she'll survive," he said, inserting the needle into his vein. He winced slightly. It was always a bit of a mild shock. " But she'll have to give up any high intensity sports she might play. Her breathing will always be a little weaker unless we find a lung sometime in her life and she agrees for an installation. But then,"

He paused as he took the filled syringe away and reached for another one. "There's always the chance that her body will reject the new organ, whether it's her blood type or not. The surgeon working on her as we speak has his doubts that she'll even wake up after the surgery." He said quietly.

"You mean she's in a coma?" Kaiba exclaimed.

"Well, it's likely. She didn't respond to the antibiotics right away that we used to clear up early bacterial infection so we could work on the wounds. Not only that, but we found many old injuries all through her insides. It looked as though she'd been beaten up every day of her life. I mean, we found a cracked rib that had to have been hurting her immensely. On a hunch, we did a brief examination and discovered a torn ligament and a small fracture in her pelvis, among other things. Her arm had also been broken at some point and never quite healed correctly. We've pinned the injured bones, but I'm surprised she went so long without telling anyone of these problems. She must have been living in a world of nothing but severe pain for a long time. I'm almost afraid of what else we'll find in that poor girl."

He fell silent. "Tell me." He said. "Was she by any chance abused by her family?" he asked carefully. Kaiba scowled. "Of course not." He snapped. The doctor sighed. "Well, in any case, are you her only living relative?" he asked, still believing that Kaiba was her cousin.

"She has one younger sister." He answered.

"If she wakes up, she's going to need an attorney. That man who stabbed her will definitely need one himself, and a damn good one at that. If it turns out that he's the one responsible for her other various injuries, he'll be lucky I don't slice him open with a scalpel the next time I see him."

He sealed the final syringe and made to wrap a bandage around where the needle had been. But his eyes widened when he saw that it was no longer bleeding. "That's pretty cool." He said. "Usually, a vein takes longer than a few minutes to clot. I guess you're good to go back and wait. Would you like a magazine or something?"

Kaiba didn't answer, but turned toward the door, pulling his sleeve down carefully in case it decided to start bleeding again. "When…." He started to say. He paused and continued. "When will I be able to see her?"

The doctor blinked. "Once the surgery ends, they'll move her into the ICU where they can keep close watch on her. Unless you're direct family, you won't be allowed in to see her. But after she's stable enough, they'll move her one more time into a hospital room where she can recuperate before the strengthening programs begin. She'll be here for a few weeks, in the least, providing she wakes up or not. She'll need to adjust living with only one lung."

Kaiba frowned when he heard all of this. As he turned back to the doctor who just stared at him patiently, he sighed. "Is there any way of staying with her while she's in Intensive Care?" he asked quietly.

"You're real worried about her, huh?" the doctor said. "Only immediate family can visit patients in ICU. Does she have any parents near?"

"They're gone." He muttered, remembering what he'd seen in Noah's virtual world. "Except for her sister and myself, she's alone in the world."

This in itself wasn't a total lie. Despite what he'd told her before, she had really come to mean something to him.

"Well, since you're her only living family, you and her sister would be allowed in to see her. I'll make sure to explain that to the nurse once the operation's over with." He said. He turned back around to place the syringes in a delivery bag to take to the surgery where they were needed. But as he got up to leave, Kaiba was already gone.

//ooo//

Three hours passed and Kaiba was still waiting patiently when he heard the rapid approach of footsteps. He turned. Yugi, Tea, Joey, Tristan, Mokuba and Sophie had arrived. Kaiba had called them earlier, but advised that Sophie get some rest before coming. It didn't seem as though the surgery would be over anytime soon. Now, she screeched to a halt and turned, gasping. "Is she okay? Where is she?" she demanded.

"Still in surgery." Kaiba responded.

"It's been eight hours." Tea exclaimed. "This must really be serious."

"They had to put it off several hours ago and it just started up again two and a half hours ago. They couldn't find a donor." He said.

"What did they need a donor for?" Tristan asked.

"Allan destroyed her lungs and only one was repairable. The other one had to be removed."

"Woah." Joey said. "Is she gonna be all right?"

Yugi looked up at him. "Human beings can live with only one of a double-organ." He said. "That's why you always hear of kidney transplants. So is Sonja going to have to live with only one lung?"

Kaiba nodded. "At least until they ever find one. Then, it'll be up to her whether or not she wants an installment."

"Hey, I got a question." Joey said. "What the heck are you even doing here? Since when do you care about what happens to Sonja?"

"I'm here because I take responsibility for what happened, Wheeler." Kaiba snapped. "Also, the staff here seems to believe I'm her cousin, so I'm sort of stuck."

"Do you know when she'll be out?" Tea asked worriedly. Kaiba shook his head slowly. "I've been here for almost the entire time." He said.

Everyone turned as the door at the end opened and the head surgeon stepped out, looking worse for the wear. "Well," he said. " Thanks to that donation earlier, we were able to stabilize her very quickly."

"What donation?" Joey asked.

The doctor shrugged toward Kaiba who stood staring at the wall. "He and the patient share the same blood type. He gave a good enough amount that we were able to complete the operation without too much hindrance."

Everyone's jaws dropped in shock. Kaiba remained motionless.

"Anyway," the doctor continued awkwardly. "We're preparing her for transport into ICU until further notice. The only problem is that she may not wake up for some time. There's nothing we can do if she goes comatose. I suggest you all go and wait in the lobby and we'll let you know when she's all settled." He said. It sounded as though he were discussing someone staying in a hotel.

He turned to head toward the main desk in the lobby to record the data on Sonja.

"I sure hope she'll be okay." Tea said quietly.

Sophie just stood gazing at the floor, fighting the urge to cry.

//ooo//

Yet another long hour passed. It was early in the morning and most all of them had spent the entire night worrying since Kaiba called with the news that Sonja was in surgery. Only Kaiba remained awake, not allowing himself to become tired. He refused to sit down and he did nothing but pace around the lobby, reading the various medical posters along the walls. He did everything he could think of to keep his mind sharp. He'd tried to keep Sophie awake too, but, she was still a little girl and fell asleep with her head resting on Tea's lap as the older girl also dozed in a chair in the corner. Because it was the emergency section of the hospital, not many people where in the lobby at this time. The only other occupant was a first-time father. His wife was apparently having difficulties with the twins they were expecting and he found comfort in rambling on and on about nonsensical things to Kaiba, who allowed him to do this, seemingly drowning out the man as he chattered. After a half-hour or so, the nurse called the man in to see his wife and then, twenty minutes later, he reemerged in the lobby with his twin daughters in his arms, barely able to contain his excitement. He rushed back in to be with his wife and the lobby was quiet once again.

After two whole hours in the lobby, the doctor appeared, wearing a white lab coat over the scrubs and his stethoscope draped around his neck, the typical image of a doctor. He looked around and noticing that Kaiba was the only one awake, nodded him over. Kaiba glanced at Sophie and made his way over, shaking her gently to wake her up. She opened her eyes groggily and peered up at him. "Mr. Kaiba?" she mumbled. "What is it?"

"Sophie, it's time to see your sister." He whispered, so as not to wake the others. She immediately seemed more awake and got to her feet. As the doctor led Kaiba and Sophie toward the room Sonja had been placed in, he told them of her condition. "It's not really clear as to when she'll wake up." He said. "All we know is that she's stable, for now. But if you talk to her, she may or may not respond."

The Intensive Care room she was in had a glass window in the wall where visitors could see her from the outside but couldn't see the outside from within. That way, the patients wouldn't be disturbed.

"I was told by Dr. Burlington that you two are her only family." He said, unlocking the door. Sophie was about to say something, but Kaiba placed his hand on her head and silenced her. "Yes." He said.

"Regulations still apply, but since the case is as is, you two qualify as immediate."

He opened the door and nodded for them to go inside. Kaiba was surprised when Sophie held onto his hand as he led her in. She was probably expecting the worst when she saw her sister.

The minute he saw Sonja, he immediately regretted how cold he'd been the past few days toward her. She looked almost dead. A respirator mask covered the lower half of her face and the only thing that showed she was alive was the faint puff of steam that filled the mask every couple of seconds. She was connected to an IV as well as a heart monitor, catheter and several other devices. Her face was pale as flour and her hair splayed out beneath her head; a ghostly halo to frame her face.

"Sonja." He mumbled to himself. He couldn't believe that just the day before, she'd been talking to him, telling him what he'd been trying to find out this whole time as she prepared for her final stand against Allan.

"A nurse will arrive soon to keep an eye on her. You'll have to leave in a little bit, though." The doctor warned. He left the room.

Sophie stumbled over to her sister's side and took her left hand in hers. "Sonni, can you hear me?" she choked. Kaiba sat down in the chair beside the hospital bed, just gazing at her blankly. Sophie continued to try. "Sonni, if you can hear me, say something." She said. Her voice grew more strangled with each attempt. Each time, Sonja made no response.

Finally, Sophie burst out crying. Kaiba reached out and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. To his surprise, she whirled around and threw her arms around his neck, sobbing against him. "It isn't fair!" she cried.

_I know._ He said to himself. He pulled her up into his arms and held her while she cried herself into a restless sleep, each breath turning into a choked hiccup as she continued to cry.

And Sonja never moved.

A/N: Okay, that little bit's fixed and it should sound better. I hope. In any case, drop me a review and tell me what you think.


	31. Waiting

A/N: Okay, I replaced a little bit of content in this chapter, too. Hopefully, Kaiba's a little more in character.

Waiting

It seemed like only a few seconds when the nurse arrived telling them to leave Sonja in the care of the hospital and go home to get some rest. Sophie by then had fallen asleep and Kaiba stood up, carrying her gently as he left the room, with one final glance back at Sonja, still lying lifeless. His great fear had come to pass. She had gone into a coma. Now it was a question of time as to when she'd awaken.

Outside the hospital, Yugi and his friends bade them goodbye and headed off in separate directions. Sophie, now awake in the cool morning air, was left bereft and lost between the hospital and the street.

"I g-guess I'll go home." She whimpered.

"No you aren't." Mokuba said. "You can't stay home all by yourself."

"So what do you want me to do?" she snapped, starting to cry again.

"You're going to stay with us until she wakes up." Kaiba instructed. "We'll take you to the shop to post a notice that you'll be closed for as long as it takes for her to awaken."

Sophie stared at him a moment and then moved her gaze to the gutter. "But what if…what if she never wakes up at all?" she cried, a fresh stream of tears erupting out.

Mokuba tried to comfort her, and Kaiba sighed quietly. He ordinarily disapproved of tears in any situation and usually reprimanded it whenever he knew the person could be stronger than that. But this time, he just stared back at the hospital and thought about Sonja, what it must be like to be in a coma like that.

"Lets' go." He said finally.

Sophie remained silent, even after Roland came to pick them up. She sat staring out the window beside Mokuba.

Roland cleared his throat. "Um, did something happen, Mr. Kaiba? Why were the three of you at the hospital?"

"Sonja's in a coma." Mokuba said quietly. Roland hummed and fell silent. "I'm…sorry to hear that." He said at last. And he meant it.

By the time they reached the mansion where the brothers lived, Sophie had shrunken into herself, unable to comprehend the truth.

Mokuba led her to the guest room where she'd be staying until Sonja woke up. Sophie continued to stare at the floor.

"Come on, Sophie, it'll be okay." Mokuba said in an attempt to cheer her up. "Sonja will wake up before you know it."

Sophie sighed. "Thanks for trying, Mokuba. I appreciate it."

She sat down in the center of the room and started picking at the rug. Mokuba turned away and left to find his brother. He found him in the library, leafing through a book, but not really reading it.

"Hey, bro." He said. He sat down in a chair. "What are you doing?"

"Researching." Kaiba replied.

"What exactly?"

"To be honest, I'm researching the variations of comas. I want to know if there really is a chance for her."

"Don't tell me you don't believe there is." Mokuba exclaimed.

"I didn't say that. But from what I already knew, comas can last for a few days, or a few years. Some people never wake up from them and literally die without even realizing it. It's better to wake up from one early."

Mokuba folded his arms. "Even when she does wake up, she's going to mad." He said. "After what that creep did to her."

Kaiba nodded. "Yeah. This is probably the only time I wish Johnson were still around." He said in mention of one of the best lawyers KaibaCorp ever had.

"She's already been asleep for a whole day." Mokuba said. "Sophie's like a shell."

Kaiba said nothing. He was more worried about Sonja than he let on. In the four and a half months since they'd met, she'd become a constant in his life. He'd pretty much forgotten what it was like not to see her on a daily basis. It didn't occur to him just how much he really cared for her until he saw her lying lifeless in the hospital bed, machines and respirators the only things standing between her and death's black shadow.

He turned to the window. Until she woke up, all everyone would be doing is worrying about her. She'd had an immense influence on the lives of the people around her and she probably had no idea of it.

"I'm going to go check on Sophie." He told Mokuba. This was affecting her more deeply than anybody. Her sister was hovering on the verge of life and death with no way for her to help tilt it in the favor of the light.

He left the library and headed toward the guest room. The door was cracked open and he carefully opened it a short ways. Inside, he could see Sophie hunched on the floor, picking threads out of the carpet.

"Sophie?" he said cautiously. She turned around and stared up at him with empty eyes. "Yeah?" she mumbled. The poor kid looked exhausted. It seemed as though she was going to stay awake until Sonja woke up.

"What are you doing?" he asked carefully. Sophie sniffled and turned back to the carpet. "I'm just thinking."

Kaiba went inside the room and knelt down beside her. "You miss her, huh?" he mumbled. Sophie nodded yes. "It isn't fair." She said. "Why'd he have to go and hurt her like that?"

It dawned on him that she probably didn't understand why Allan had attacked Sonja. He sighed. "Why don't you get some sleep." He suggested.

Sophie sniffed again and nodded. "Are we going to see Sonja tomorrow?" she asked pitifully.

"Yeah." He said, smiling slightly. He ruffled her hair and stood up. "Get some rest, kid." He said. He shut the door quietly as he left. But as he prepared to walk away, he stopped when he heard a small noise from inside the room. He opened the door again and saw her sitting up on the bed with the covers pulled to her chin, her eyes wide. He wasn't sure how he knew, but something told him she was scared of the dark. He left the door open a crack and as he made his way down the stairs, he heard nothing more from her.

"Poor kid." He mumbled.

//ooo//

The next day, keeping his word, Kaiba took Sophie back to the hospital to see her sister. Mokuba had had to go on to school, so Sophie remained completely shut in on herself as before. Ad he drove, Kaiba kept casting concerned glances at the little girl.

The lobby in the hospital was much busier today than the day before. Kaiba learned from the nurse at the front desk that Sonja had made it through the first critical twenty-four hours and had been moved into another room. She could now breathe on her own and was kept on the IV and catheter.

When they entered the room and saw her lying pretty much the same way as she'd been in ICU, neither was over the shock that for the moment, she was dead to them. But the respirator was gone and she simply looked asleep. Sophie went over and took her sister's hand. "Hey, Sonja." She said, smiling sadly. "How are you doing?"

Sonja didn't respond. Of course.

"I'm good." Sophie said, as though Sonja had answered. "Mr. Kaiba and Mokuba are letting me stay with them so I'm not all alone at the shop."

Kaiba pulled a chair over and sat down a few feet away, watching Sonja intently for any signs of movement. Her eyes remained closed and her chest slowly rose and fell as she breathed. But other than that, nothing whatsoever.

The door opened on the other side of the room as the nurse entered. She blinked in surprise and smiled. "I see she has company." She said, shutting the door. "I'm Madeleine Conroy, head nurse." She said with a small nod. "I've been in charge of keeping an eye on her."

Sophie didn't really register her as she talked. She just continued to watch her sister sadly. Nurse Conroy noticed and sighed. "I truly understand what you're going through." She said to Sophie. "I have to be around patients like this every single day. But there is good news."

"What?"

"Most coma patients usually wake up in the most, a couple of months. It all depends on the patient. Doctors are still researching the effects of loved ones calling to the subconscious of the patient in an effort to wake them up early."

Sophie smiled for the first time in two days. "Then I'll just keep talking to her."

Kaiba didn't say anything throughout this little exchange. He'd heard what the nurse said, though and he couldn't help but wonder, could it work?

After awhile, Sophie sighed. "I'm hungry." She mumbled. Nurse Conroy was still checking Sonja's vital signs and refilling the IV. "Well, how about I take you down to the cafeteria? You can get something eat." She said.

"But who's going to talk to Sonja?" Sophie asked worriedly.

"I will." Kaiba said quietly. "Go on. I'll stay here."

Sophie beamed, got down off her chair and went around to the other side. Before he could really say anything, she'd already given him a hug. "Thanks!" she exclaimed. She went with Nurse Conroy out of the room toward the ground floor. It was late afternoon and the sun shown through the blinds as the heat register blew them gently back and forth. Sonja continued to lie motionless.

Kaiba hesitated a second. He wasn't sure what to say, after all, she probably couldn't hear him. But then, she probably could. He sighed.

"That was stupid of you, you know." He said at last. "Risking your neck to take Allan down."

"_Oh yeah? He had a gun in your face. That's a fine way to thank me for saving your life." _ Is what he was sure she'd say if she were awake.

"Now that I know what happened to you all these years, I can understand your anger."

He cautiously reached forward and took her hand. "Look, I've been wanting to say this for awhile." He said. "I'm…I'm sorry for everything I put you through the past few months. I only met you at the beginning of school and it feels like I've known you for much longer than that."

Her hand twitched, but he knew better than to react. It was probably a muscle spasm. "Just don't wake up when we're not here, Sonja. I…." he paused, feeling a little foolish. "I don't want you to wake up alone."

He fell silent for a while. The sun filtered through the drapes and he found himself aimlessly watching the dust particles float listlessly through the air.

It was odd. Sitting in the hospital keeping an eye on a friend was the one thing in a long time that made him finally take time to look at the world. He got up out of his chair and went over to the window, pulling back the blinds to look outside. They were on the third floor, so there wasn't much to see. He turned back to look at Sonja. Still nothing.

The waiting was tedious. Of course, for her, time would fly once she finally opened her eyes. She'd already been asleep for a couple of days now.

He sat back down and continued to keep watch. "What is it like for you?" he asked. "Unable to wake up."

_"It's stupid. I hate being idle. I want to be up and at 'em!" _

It sounded exactly like what she'd say. He hadn't realized how much he missed hearing her voice. "I've arranged for the best lawyer in the state to represent you against Allan when you wake up." He said. "His name is John Robinson. If anyone can win the case, he can."

Sonja remained motionless. Kaiba sighed. "There really isn't much I can say." He muttered. He looked up at her. "Just…just wake up. All right?"

He fell silent and decided to wait for Sophie to come back.

//ooo//

That evening, Kaiba attempted to focus on some late work, but was unable to concentrate. He sighed and turned to look out the window. He couldn't stop thinking about Sonja, still trapped in a coma in the hospital. Sophie was slipping further and further into a shell with each passing day and refused to speak anymore except in an attempt to wake up her sister.

Sonja had been in a coma for two days. Just waiting for her to wake up made time slip by too slowly.

He'd gone to visit her earlier that day with Sophie. Sonja had been the same as ever. He couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever wake up at all.

Deciding that he was too distracted to get any work done, he shut down his computer and opted to try to rest for the night. He decided to check on Sophie. He approached the door and knocked cautiously. He frowned. Even in her withdrawn state, she still answered somewhat. "I'm coming in, Sophie." He said. He opened the door and peered inside.

She wasn't asleep. The bed was made clumsily because she was accustomed to making it in the mornings and always had a difficult time with it.

She wasn't sitting in her usual spot on the rug.

In fact, she wasn't there. The room was empty.

He stepped inside, suddenly alarmed. She was gone.

"Great." He growled. He whirled and ran out of the room as Mokuba came out of his room down the hall. "Seto, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Sophie's gone." Kaiba said, hurrying down the stairs to grab the car keys off the counter.

"What?" his brother exclaimed. "Where?"

"Where else? To Sonja." Kaiba grumbled. "Come on."

When they arrived in the hospital lobby, it turned out Kaiba's prediction was true. Sophie was sobbing hysterically in the lobby with two flustered nurses and a doctor standing by her.

"I want to see my sister!" Sophie screamed.

"Visiting hours are over! You need to go home." One of the nurses insisted, attempting to drag her to the door.

Kaiba stepped in and pulled Sophie aside. "What's going on?" he demanded. "Sophie, what are you doing here?"

"I want to see Sonja!" Sophie snapped, trying to pull away. He kept a firm grip around her wrist. "How long has she been here?" he asked the doctor.

"About a half-hour." The hassled man replied. "We caught her trying to pick the lock on her sister's room." Kaiba sighed and shook his head.

"Sophie, what were you thinking?" Mokuba asked. Sophie scowled. "Something's wrong with Sonja. I don't know how I know, I just know."

"Miss," the doctor said, rubbing his eyes, "Your sister is fine. We just went to check on her. There's a nurse in with her, now."

"When did you check?"

"About an hour ago."

"Check again! Something's wrong!" Sophie demanded. "I'll wake up everyone in this stupid hospital if you don't."

She glanced toward the fire alarm on the wall. Since she was relatively close to it, the doctor decided to humor her. "Fine. I'll go check one more time." He said. "But I assure you, nothing is wrong."

He led them to the third floor to Sonja's hospital room. Sophie remained fidgety the entire ride up the elevator.

When the doors opened, everyone was surprised to see a woman standing outside, frantically pressing the down button. She gasped when she saw the doctor. "Oh, thank god, doctor you've got to come with me quickly!" she exclaimed.

"Why? What's the matter?"

"It's the patient I was looking after! She stopped breathing!." The nurse said breathlessly. "The call button in her room is broken or something and I was coming to get you!"

The doctor cast a quick, bewildered glance at Sophie. Then he hurried forward out of the elevator. "Get a respiration system up here now!" he ordered. He glanced back at Sophie, Mokuba and Kaiba. "Stay in this hallway until I send for you." He called. He entered the room and slammed the door shut while the nurse went to find the machine.

Both of the brothers were staring at Sophie. "How did you know?" Mokuba asked in bewilderment.

"I just felt that something was wrong. I wanted to see Sonja, just to be sure."

"This is starting to sound like a sci-fi movie." Mokuba commented as they moved out of the elevator. Kaiba leaned against the wall and folded his arms, lost in thought. Mokuba was right. The Gavens sisters were weird, that much was certain. But he didn't really feeling like delving into the whole sibling telepathy right now, so he let it slide. Besides, he was sure that rumor only worked with twins.

After awhile, the doctor came back out and sighed. "Well, it turns out she had an allergic reaction to one of the fluids in the IV. Not uncommon, but not too frequent either. I've got her on the respirator and she's stable again." He said. He glanced at Sophie. "I suppose if you keep quiet, you can stay with her for a little while." He told her. "I've also repaired the call button if anything happens."

He headed toward the elevator and pushed the down button. As the doors closed, they were left in the eerily silent hallway. Sonja's door was the only one partially open and a soft light filtered out where the overhead light above her bed had been left on.

Without waiting for them, Sophie started forward and pushed the door open, disappearing inside. Kaiba and Mokuba cautiously followed and found Sophie sitting at her sister's bedside and arranging her hair on the pillow. Most of Sonja's face was covered by the plastic mask forcing air into her lungs. Kaiba approached and glanced at her and then Sophie. "Everything okay, now?" he asked quietly.

Sophie nodded. "Mm-hmm." She mumbled. She started to braid little sections of Sonja's hair and once again seemed to shrink into herself, oblivious to the world.

"I want her to wake up." She said all of a sudden.

"She will." Mokuba said.

Sophie attempted a smile at him, but it looked more like a grimace instead.

An hour passed.

Kaiba kept his senses alert for the doctor or the nurse arriving to tell them it was time to leave, but so far, they were left alone. It was almost like they knew something he didn't and were letting them have their final moments with Sonja. But he pushed these troubling thoughts away and glanced over at his brother and Sophie. Sophie had curled up in the chair and Mokuba had his head resting on his folded arms on the mattress, struggling to stay awake. His eyes were glazed over and he was clearly falling asleep. After a few minutes, he did.

Kaiba felt strangely awake. Besides, he didn't want to fall asleep. He looked at the clock on the wall. It was eleven at night. No wonder Mokuba and Sophie were exhausted. They were still kids and got tired easily. He was used to pulling all-nighters on occasion, so it didn't affect him much.

He looked down at Sonja, still seemingly asleep.

"Three days." He muttered. "It's been three days since your surgery."

He sighed. "You need to wake up, Sonja." He said. "That's all I can really say, now."

//ooo//

It was dark and cold. Sonja was only aware of this. She felt that she needed to do something, to move around. But for some reason, she found herself unable to make her limbs obey her. Far off in the distance, she could hear voices. A few voices in particular, she could pick out very well.

"_I want her to wake up." _

"Sophie!" she exclaimed, but to her surprise, her voice came back to her in the form of an echo. Sonja sighed and closed her eyes. She could feel the air around her become suffocating.

"Last thing I remember, I was…doing something." She said. "What was it?"

Voices again. Why couldn't she move? Why couldn't she get her body to listen to her? She could only remain huddled on some solid surface, unable to move at all.

"Why can't I move?" she wondered aloud. She tried to stand up, but her entire body felt like lead. She felt a catch in her throat and choked. "Why can't I move? What's going on?" she exclaimed. "I can hear Sophie. But why can't she hear me? Who else is there?"

She strained her ears to try to identify the other voices. One in particular made her freeze.

"_Three days." _

"Is that?" she asked. "Seto? Why is he here? Three days since what?"

_"It's been three days since your surgery." _

"My surgery?"

She froze, eyes wide. "That's right! Allan stabbed me. I remember. I passed out after…something happened to him. I must have been tired. I guess I must be in the hospital, now."

_"You need to wake up, Sonja. That's all I can really say, now." _

Sonja frowned. "I need to wake up? What for? I am awake!"

She tried again to stand up. "I am awake! Listen to me, dang it, I am awake!"

She sighed shakily. "I am awake. I'm scared, but I'm awake."

"Snowball."

She growled to herself. "Great. Now I'm hearing things."

"Snowball, turn around, would you?"

Sonja turned her head. "This had better be—"

She stopped and stared. "Woah. No way!" she exclaimed. "Sam?"

The tall boy smiled good-naturedly. "Long time no see, sis. What are you sitting on the ground for?"

Sonja blinked and looked away. "I can't move." She admitted. Sam came over and sat down beside her. "Well, if you won't stand up, I'll just have to sit down next to you." He said. He grinned. "What have you been up to these days?"

"Nothing much," she replied. "But what are you doing here? You're…you're dead, Sam."

He chuckled and sighed. "That's right, but this is your dream, so I can do whatever you want me to." He said.

"I'm dreaming?" she asked disbelievingly. He nodded. "Sure. You're asleep. That's why you can't move."

"But I heard somebody far away say that it's been three whole days." She said. "I must have been asleep for that long."

Sam nodded again. "That voice is someone who cares about you." He told her. "That voice is trying to give you the motivation to wake up; trying to pull you back from this place. I guess you already figured out that you can't wake up on your own, huh?"

Sonja sighed. "Yup."

"No biggie." Sam said, stretching. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "I'm sure you realized that I can't stay too long." He muttered. Sonja nodded her head sadly. "I've missed you big bro." She whispered.

"I've missed you, too." He replied. He gently pulled her up against him and stroked her hair affectionately. "Being dead and gone has its hang-ups. But one good thing, I always get to keep an eye on you. You've done good, sis. I'm proud of you. Looking after Sophie and your new shop. It's doing wonders for you, you know. And the new friends you made are something else."

He ran a hand through his sandy hair. "You always were my precious little sister."

Sonja smiled. "And you always were my awesome big brother."

Sam beamed at her. He hummed and looked up all of a sudden. Then, he smiled again. "Guess my time's almost up." He said. He got to his feet. He held his hand out for Sonja. She hesitantly reached up and grasped it. With a single tug, he yanked her to her feet. "See?" he said. "I knew you could do it. You just needed a little help, is all."

Sonja gazed at him sadly. " I don't want you to go, Sam. I need you. You're memory was what kept me going."

"And whoever said I was going to leave? I'm with you, you just can't see me." He said cheerfully. "I'll be with you when you wake up, soon. Speaking of which, there's someone asking you to return. As much as I'd like you to come with me, there's someone out there who needs you more than I do. Several some ones to be exact."

Sonja sighed. "I understand."

"That's my girl." Sam mumbled. "Now, don't forget about big brother Sam. Okay?"

Sonja nodded. "Okay. I promise." She said. Sam took hold of her shoulders and turned her around. The darkness around them seemed to lift a little bit in that direction. "Go on." He said behind her. "I'll watch to make sure you don't change direction."

Sonja took a deep breath and started forward. Her body seemed to grow lighter and she could hear things more clearly the faster she went. _Will I see you again, Sam? _ She asked.

_Do birds fly? Of course you will._ His voice came back, flooding her being with the confidence she needed. She felt a wave of energy course through her as she took one last step.

//ooo//

In the past half-hour since Sophie and Mokuba had fallen asleep, nurse Conroy had checked in on them and brought some blankets for the two of them.

"I understand why the doctor won't tell you to leave." She said quietly. "I've never seen more loyal visitors. If anything happens, let me know." She said. With that, she left the room. Kaiba looked back at Sonja. Nothing.

Hesitantly, he raised his hand and slipped it beneath the bar of the hospital bed, taking hers and just holding it. She was strangely warm. He stared at the clock above the door. It was midnight. Nearly four days exactly since she went into the coma. Would she ever wake up?

Her hand twitched again. He didn't pay attention to it. It was just another muscle spasm.

It twitched yet again. This time, he glanced at her curiously. His eyes went wide in disbelief. Her eyes were shifting beneath the lids. And when he looked down at her hand, he was completely stunned when her hand twitched once more and then, slowly closed over his. That was definitely not a muscle spasm.

She was waking up.

He stood up and stared at her determinedly. "Sonja, can you hear me?" he said.

But he didn't have to say anything. After a few seconds, her eyes slowly opened a crack, eyes dull and glazed. She blinked and they opened a tad more. With a slight turn of her head, she was looking straight at him.

"Welcome back, Sonja." He muttered. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes again. But something told him that she was still just tired. She was going into an ordinary sleep, now.

As her hand went limp, he sat back down. He knew he should call the nurse, but then Sonja would have to undergo various tests immediately. He felt her should let her rest, now.

He closed his eyes, finally allowing himself to drift off for a few hours, now knowing that Sonja was finally back with them.

With him.

A/N: Was that a little better? I hope so. It was kind of hard to figure out what to change or not.


	32. Overwhelmed

A/N: Yay! My word processor is fixed! I can update, now! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. But after this, the update will be longer in coming because I have block on the next chapter. -_-; Please be patient with me. I'll do my best!!

Overwhelmed

It was four in the morning. Sonja was sitting up in bed, gazing blearily around her. Mokuba and Sophie were asleep to her right. Sophie was asleep sitting up in a chair while Mokuba had his forehead resting on the mattress. To her left, Kaiba sat quietly dozing. She wondered how long they'd been there. She noticed she had a respirator on her face and it was rather warm. So she reached up to take it off and took a deep breath of fresh air. "Feels good." She mumbled. She removed the mask and set it beside her on the bed. Then she leaned back against the pillow and allowed her mind to wander aimlessly. She'd been having a nice dream before waking up. She wasn't so sure, now. She'd dreamt Sam had come back and talked to her. But of course, that wasn't possible. Sam was gone. That was all there was to it. She still had Sophie, but still.

She sighed and raised her hand to her face. It was her left hand and it held the IV in her wrist.

"I was right. I am in the hospital." She whispered. She settled further back into the pillow. "I guess they haven't noticed I'm awake." She murmured. "It's just as well. I wasn't ready to be fully awake yet, anyhow."

And with that, she drifted back to sleep.

//ooo//

Sonja could hear chattering voices in the background, kind of like in her dream. But these sounded different. They sounded closer.

_"For real? Are you sure?" _

That sounded like Sophie. She opened her eyes a fraction and sighed. "What time is it?" she mumbled. She jumped when Sophie screamed all of a sudden and about choked as something enclosed over her neck, cutting off her air supply.

"Sonja! You're back!" Sophie cried.

"Sophie!" Sonja rasped. "I need air!"

Sophie immediately released her as Sonja got her breath back. "Sorry." She said sheepishly. Sonja found it surprising that she couldn't recover her breath as quickly.

"That's funny." She said. "Why can't I breathe right?"

"You only have one functioning lung, Sonja." Someone to her left said. She turned. "Oh, hi, Seto." She said. "What do you mean I only have one lung? What happened to the other one?"

Kaiba hesitated before answering. "When Allan attacked you, he destroyed it. The doctor was only able to save one." He said quietly. Sonja gazed down at her hands. "Oh." She said.

It was quiet for a moment.

"Don't worry, sis." Sophie said after a minute. "You'll be out of here in no time!"

Sonja smiled faintly. "Yeah. But when, I wonder?"

Everyone glanced up as the door opened suddenly. It was nurse Conroy and she seemed surprised to see Sonja awake. "When did she wake up?" she asked Kaiba.

"Around midnight last night." He replied.

"I wish you'd have called us." She said. "Never mind. Sonja, would you like something to eat?"

"No, thanks." Sonja said. "I'm not hungry."

"You should." Nurse Conroy chastised gently. "You've been asleep for three and a half, four days. You're hungry, whether you know it or not."

Sonja sighed. "Okay. I'll try something."

"Great, but first, you'll need a small examination."

Kaiba took Sophie and Mokuba out into the hallway while the nurse checked Sonja over for lingering effects from the coma. He immediately noticed a change in Sophie. She was more like her old self now that Sonja had woken up.

"If she gets jello, maybe she'll let me have it." She said, sitting down against the wall.

"Why?" Mokuba ventured.

"She hates jello."

"How can you hate jello? It has no taste."

Sophie shrugged. "I don't know. She told me once that it felt like eating bugs when she ate it. And afterward, she said that she hated the way it tasted an hour later."

"I reiterate Sophie, jello has no taste." Mokuba snapped irritably. Sophie stuck her tongue out at him.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. Nothing could bring the little kid out of his brother better than Sophie could. He could see this was quite true when they started making bizarre faces at each other.

After a few minutes, nurse Conroy came out into the hallway and told them they could go back in and talk to Sonja.

They found her sitting up with her knees pulled up to her chest beneath the blanket, studying a tray of assorted hospital food on the pull out table in front of her. She looked up as they came back in and smiled. "I could hear you two arguing out there." She said, chuckling. "And yes, Sophie, you can have the jello."

"Yay!" Sophie squealed. Sonja handed her the little cup and then folded her arms under her chin. "I honestly don't know what you see in jello." She muttered. She went back to studying the tray.

"Why don't you eat something, Sonja?" Mokuba asked.

"I'm really not hungry. I just agreed so she'd leave me alone." Sonja answered. "Besides, none of this really keeps my stomach from turning."

She turned and gazed out the window. "Nurse Conroy said I'd have to go through physical therapy before I can leave. They want to be sure none of my muscles started to deteriorate while I was in the coma."

Sophie hummed. "Well, after that, you're outta here, right?" she said cheerfully. Sonja stared down at the tray, but obviously not seeing it. Kaiba sensed that something was wrong and nodded to Mokuba. After a few seconds, his brother got it and turned to Sophie. "Hey, lets' go see if there's any games in the waiting room." He suggested.

"All right." Sophie said. "But I'm gonna beat you there!"

"Sure—when pigs fly! See ya bro!" he called as he raced Sophie out of the room toward the first floor. The door closed and Kaiba turned to Sonja. "You don't seem very thrilled about waking up." He noted. Sonja picked up the tray and set it down on the chair beside the bed, burrowing into the blanket and facing away from him. "I'm glad to be awake." She said quietly. "But…never mind."

"What?"

"I said never mind." She snapped.

"Sonja, what's wrong?" he pried. Sonja sighed. "I didn't want to tell Sophie this." She said. " But I don't know how I'm going to cover this whole operation. My insurance isn't covered here and I've been meaning to switch my plan, but I just haven't had the time."

"Whoops. I forgot to tell you." He said sarcastically. "I've already paid the hospital for the surgery." He said.

She looked back at him, scowling. "Why?"

"Why what?" he asked, smirking.

"Look, I didn't ask for your help." She growled.

"Well, it's too late, now." He said. He changed his tone. "I did it when they brought you here. Everything was included in advance. Once your therapy's over and you're rested enough, you're free to leave." He told her. Sonja faced the window again. "I wish you hadn't done that." She muttered. "I don't see how helping us can benefit you in any way."

Kaiba paused. What he was about to say, he'd never say if anyone else were around. "Whoever said that was the reason?" he asked quietly. "I did it to help you. That should be reason enough."

Sonja sat up and looked at him. Then, she turned her gaze to the window and sighed. "I guess…you're right." She said finally. "Thanks. It does mean a lot that you did this."

She smiled a little and then returned her eyes to the window, watching the clouds.

"Sonja." He said. She turned back around. "Hm?"

"Well," he started. "You do know that you'll have to testify against Allan for what happened. Whatever he did to you before will also probably come out and this means you'll have to face him again."

Sonja swallowed and stared at her hands, her hair covering her face. "I can't do that." She said in a hushed tone. "Every time I think of him…that creepy, sadistic smile, what he forced me to do…what he almost did to me…I can't face him again."

He could tell she was fighting to stay in control of herself. Then she sighed. "If you say anything about pathetic I'm being right now, I'll slug you." She grumbled.

"I wasn't going to. Believe it or not, I kind of understand what you're going through. In any case, if you don't testify as a key witness, Allan could do this again. You know that, right?"

Sonja scowled at this. "That…that…."

She snarled and clenched her fists. "If mom hadn't raised me right, I'd call him what I'd like to darn well call him, but I won't. But I still don't want to see him again."

Kaiba sighed. "Listen Sonja, I witnessed what he did to you several days ago. I'll be there as a witness also. Along with that, I've employed the highest recommended lawyer I could find. He's only lost one case in his entire career and it was due to a hung jury."

He paused, thinking of how to phrase what he wanted to say. "And," he said finally. "I'm going to stay with you…so Allan won't get to you at all."

Sonja just stared at him wide-eyed. "Why are you doing all of this?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Because I want to, Sonja." He replied. "While you were in the coma, I took care of all the legal documents. All of the tedious work is already filed. The preliminary hearing is in two weeks. But because you probably won't be out of the hospital before then, I'm going to go in your place as a witness to testify."

"But will there even be enough evidence to take him to court?" Sonja asked. Kaiba nodded grimly. "I saw to that. I also did a little research on Allan while working with Robinson, the lawyer I've hired. We discovered some useful little factors that could easily tip the judge's decision even without the evidence from the hospital record on your examinations."

Sonja looked away. "If he goes to court, I'll have to stand as a key witness, right?" she said quietly.

"Well, it's more of a question of when, Sonja. And yes, you would." Kaiba said. Sonja sighed. "I guess if it'll keep him from doing this again, I suppose I'll have to."

Both fell silent. Sonja stared out the window.

"Get some more rest." He said finally.

"All right." She said. "Guess I'll see you guys later, then."

He nodded. "I'll bring them back before visiting hours are over."

"Thanks." She said.

//ooo//

A simple routine seemed to be developing. Kaiba often found himself taking Sophie to see Sonja and wound up conversing with her more than Sophie did. He couldn't really think of anyone he'd really ever had a conversation with.

A week after her surgery, Sonja was able to walk around with the help of crutches and no longer needed an IV or anything else. But she was under strict protein diets to build her muscles back up and went through two to three hours of physical therapy every day. Kaiba stood by the window on one such day after she'd gotten back from the rehab room and watched bemusedly as she attempted to choke down some sort of fishy soup. "Blech!" she exclaimed. "They really expect me to eat this?"

"Apparently." He replied. She threw him a sour look and set the bowl aside. "I just want to get out of here, already." She said. "When's the preliminary trial again?"

"Tomorrow." Kaiba answered, making his way over and sitting down in the chair beside the bed. "I'm meeting with Robinson, Allan and his lawyer before a judge at the courthouse."

"Is there enough evidence to take him to trial?" Sonja asked.

"Robinson certainly believes so. There're various medical documents from the hospital, here, as well as Allan's fingerprints on that knife, added to what almost happened to you. We also managed to track down an old associate of Allan's back in Japan. But your testimony might clinch the case in your favor." Kaiba told her. Sonja looked away. "I should be happy about this." She muttered. "I'll be happy when it's over."

Kaiba frowned. She was still anxious about facing Allan again. He couldn't blame her.

There was a knock at the door.

"It's open." Sonja said. The door opened and several people crowded inside.

"Sonja!" Tea cried, rushing over and throwing her arms around Sonja's neck. "We've been worried sick about you! How're you doing?"

"I'll be better when I can breathe again!" Sonja gasped. Tea instantly released her. "Sorry."

Her nose wrinkled when she caught a whiff of the fish soup. "Ick, what is that?" she asked, pointing.

"Part of my protein diet." Sonja grumbled wryly. She looked over at Joey, Tristan and Yugi all standing by the door. "'Bout time you noticed us." Joey said with a smirk.

"Sorry." Sonja apologized.

Joey glared at Kaiba, who had turned to look out the window. "Just what's he doing here?" Joey snapped.

"We were discussing the details of the trial coming up. The preliminary trial is tomorrow." Sonja told them.

"But aren't you stuck here for a few more weeks?" Tea asked.

"Yeah, so he said he was going in my place." Sonja replied. Tea frowned contemplatively and nodded. "Okay," she said, clapping once. "Everybody out!"

"Why?" Yugi asked.

"Because I need to speak to Sonja about something—privately." She emphasized. She shooed everyone out and turned to Kaiba, who refused to budge.

"You too." She said.

He simply glared at her. Tea stalked over and forcefully shoved him out, shutting and locking the door. Sonja swallowed nervously. "Uh, what are you doing?" she asked.

"I have a few questions for you." Tea said cheerily. She went over and sat down beside the bed. "Now," she said. "Lets' get down to business."

"Tea, you're even weirder than I suspected." Sonja mumbled. "What's going on in that so-called mind of yours?"

Tea grinned. "I have a theory." She said.

"Like what?"

"I'll tell you straight." Tea replied. "I am under the impression that Kaiba likes you."

Sonja didn't react. "Okay. Your point?" she grumbled. Tea sighed.

"Listen, Sonja, I've been around enough to recognize the signs. Sophie told me everything."

"What do you mean?" Sonja asked.

"Sophie told me that he not only paid for the surgery that happened to save your life, he also took care of her while you were in the coma. Apparently, he was also here when you woke up. Is this true?"

Sonja thought back. "Yeah, now that I think about it, he was here when I woke up. I thought I'd been dreaming or something. The next thing I remember is Sophie about crushing me."

Tea folded her arms and nodded triumphantly. "I was right." She declared.

"About what?"

"Sonja, you're not slow, so pay attention. He likes you. If not that, he's very fond of you. Admit it, are you the same?"

But Sonja wasn't listening. She was staring out at a robin on the windowsill. Tea sighed irritably. "What's the use?" she snapped. "You aren't even listening."

She allowed everyone back inside and then leaned against the wall, sulking. She reverted back to her usual self after only five minutes of trying to ignore Sophie.

"Okay, that was weird." Joey commented.

"Tell me about it." Yugi replied. "But at least Sonja's awake again."

Sonja smiled. "It's good to see you guys." She said. "I suppose time passed rather quickly for me while I was asleep."

Just outside the door, Kaiba leaned against the wall and listened to their chatter. He decided to leave for a while. Sonja wouldn't even realize he'd gone, that much was certain.

//ooo//

However, Sonja had noticed. After everyone left, she picked up one of the books he often brought her and flipped through it. "He didn't even say he was going." She mumbled. "He could have at least said goodbye."

//ooo//

After another week of checkups, examinations and physical therapy, Sonja was deemed ready to leave for home and at least a month of home relaxation.

"What?!" she exclaimed when she heard that. "I can't just relax, I have to run the shop. I probably have all of my various customers fuming at me right now." She grumbled as Sophie and Nurse Conroy helped her pack the few things she had with her. Sonja brushed the tangles from her hair and held it up to her eyes. "Hmm." She said ponderously. Sophie glanced up. "What'cha thinking, sis?" she asked.

"You know," Sonja replied. "I'm thinking maybe I should cut my hair for the winter; just chop it all off, real short."

Sophie started. "But why?" she asked. "How come you want to cut your hair?"

"I wasn't serious, Sophie, I was just thinking." Sonja answered. "Besides, my hair grows so quickly anyway."

She set the brush down and put a quick, messy braid into her hair. Nurse Conroy and Sophie started to snicker. Sonja scowled. "I know it's not good." She snapped. "I've never been good at braiding my own hair, okay?"

Nurse Conroy sighed and pulled Sonja over, undoing the braid and then deftly weaving her hair through and through.

"I have boys, and no daughters." She said. "So this is a nice change. I used to braid my own hair when I was your age." She told Sonja.

"But how?" Sophie asked. "Your hair's real short." She commented on nurse Conroy's blond bob cut. Nurse Conroy giggled. "I cut it short back in eleventh grade and never let it grow out again." She admitted. "It used to be all the way down to my hips. But I heard that my little crush liked girls with short hair, so I swallowed my pride and cut it off."

"Did you end up with your crush?" Sophie asked. Nurse Conroy sighed. "Well, no. It turned out he was joking about the hair thing. Besides, he was going steady with another girl from across town. However, my husband, whom I met a year or so later, liked short hair and told me this as I was beginning to grow it back out, so I cut off the new growth."

"And he asked you out?" Sophie asked eagerly.

"Yes, a few weeks later, he sent me this adorable little porcelain doll with the words, "Will you go out with me?" written on a card in its hands.

Sonja listened to this story quietly, waiting until nurse Conroy finished the braid.

Finally, her hair was released.

"Voila!" Nurse Conroy announced. "You have such long hair. It's really beautiful."

Sonja pulled her hair around over her shoulder to look at the braid. It did look nice, but she knew she looked plain. "Thank you." She mumbled. She closed her duffel bag and put on the coat Sophie had brought for her. Nurse Conroy peered at her curiously and then glanced at Sophie, who shrugged.

//ooo//

Sonja was given a powerful painkiller if her chest started to hurt. She was told to rest for at least five hours a day for a month. Her body was still adjusting to the absence of an important organ and the remaining lung needed time to strengthen itself.

"Can't I rest inside my shop where I can work?" Sonja had asked. The doctor had told her she could, so long as Sophie did most of the heavy lifting and deliveries. Sophie had been pretty much okay with it so long as she got to keep the tips.

Now, Sonja sat inside her shop trying to catch up on order forms. Calls kept flying in from angry customers demanded to know the reason for the unscheduled vacation. Sonja had to calmly tell each one that she'd been in the hospital for a couple of weeks and was still recovering. Most of them had been sincerely apologetic for their anger and told her to take it easy, that their requests could wait. But some weren't so sympathetic.

Sonja was busy arranging a simple bouquet for a couple of girls as a birthday present for their mother when she got an unexpected visit. The bell on the door rang and she looked up wearily. Her eyes went wide.

"Seto? What are you doing here?" she asked as Kaiba made his way to the counter.

"I came to remind you that the trial is set for this weekend." He told her. "The judge and attorneys already sent out for members of the jury and the evidence is all set."

Sonja sighed wearily. "I forgot about that." She said. Kaiba frowned. "Sonja, what are you even doing down here? Sophie told me what the doctor said."

Sonja growled to herself. "I don't care. I have to get these orders in. I've been getting calls left and right from angry people. Thankfully, most of them have been nice."

At that moment, the front door opened and Sophie stepped in, dragging the red wagon behind her. "Oh, hey Mr. Kaiba." She said. "Sonja, I got that order delivered, but the person didn't seem all that happy."

"That's to be expected." Sonja muttered. "I've been slacking for two weeks. I need to get some work done."

She turned to the computer.

"Sonja, you're going to burn yourself out." Sophie warned. "You've been back for two days and you haven't rested a bit, not even at night. You'll end up back in the hospital!"

"I have another order, Sophie." Sonja said as though her sister hadn't spoken. "Please, just deliver this last one. Once I file these faxes and call all of these people back, I'll try to rest. Okay?" she lied. Sophie frowned, skeptical, but sighed, took the bouquet from her sister and went back out in the direction of the address. Seconds after she left, the phone started to ring. Sonja hastily picked it up, her pad and pencil ready. "Gavens' Flower Emporium, Sonja speak—"

"_What the hell have you been doing!?" _the person yelled so loudly that Kaiba heard it from three feet away. Sonja winced. "I apologize, sir, but I've been in the hospital, and—"

_"Do you think I give a damn? I needed this order a week ago!" _

"I said I was sorry, sir, I was in surgery—" Sonja attempted to say.

"_I don't want to hear a lame excuse! You idiot, was it something stupid, like an abortion or something? I needed that goddamn order!" _

Kaiba scowled as Sonja sighed in defeat. "I'll give you a credit on this order and you'll pay nothing for it."

_"That's more like it. Have it ready by this evening, or I'll sue." _

He hung up and Sonja was left sitting with the phone held loosely to her ear, staring into space. She started to shake.

"Sonja?" Kaiba asked concernedly. She dropped the phone, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "I-I think you'd better go." She stumbled over her words. She clenched her fists on the counter and bit her tongue. Kaiba approached cautiously, deeply concerned. "Sonja, what's wrong?" he asked again.

"I'm…fine…." Sonja gritted out. Then, without warning, she collapsed on the counter, sobbing uncontrollably. Kaiba's eyed widened in alarm and he went around behind the counter, pulling her up by her shoulders so she faced him. She continued to cry, curling her arms against her stomach.

"Sonja, what's wrong?" he repeated yet again. She just shook her head, unable to catch her breath while she tried to stop crying. Kaiba realized that if she didn't stop, she wouldn't get enough air with her one lung working overly hard and she'd probably pass out.

"Come on, Sonja, you have to calm down." He said firmly. But it didn't seem to work. He could see what was going on here, now. Her stress level had gone too high and the lack of energy was escalating into a panic attack. If she didn't get control soon, she'd definitely pass out. He carefully pulled her off the stool and set her down on the floor against the wall so she could lean against something. "Sonja, calm down." He said gently.

He saw that she was gritting her teeth together, trying to regain control. She was also getting tired. This was a good sign; it meant that the attack was subsiding and she'd be ready to sleep it off. Panic attacks, or anxiety as they were often called, enhanced the body's senses almost tenfold, making one extremely alert to just about everything in case the flight reflex was needed. But the downside of this unusual effect was that it induced severe fatigue afterwards and the only reliable remedy was to sleep and regain lost energy during the attack.

Kaiba shifted his position and sat down beside her, pulling her against him comfortingly. "Settle down." He continued to instruct firmly. Sonja's breathing was still disturbingly uneven, though it was better than it had been five minutes ago. Gradually, her breathing returned to normal and she remained motionless, eyes closed and very tired.

He just kept watching carefully. He wasn't sure if he'd been any help at all, but whatever happened, it seemed to have worked.

She opened her eyes a little and looked up at him wearily. "Thanks, Seto." She said weakly. "You're a good friend."

And with that, she was out. She fell back against the wall with a sigh and went limp. But now, he wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't just leave her like this and he had no way to get her upstairs because he was sure she locked the door. He supposed he just had to wait until Sophie got back. He stood up and sighed.

After about ten minutes, he heard the door open and turned. It was Sophie. She looked around curiously. "Where's Sonja?" she asked.

Kaiba gestured her over. When Sophie saw Sonja slumped against the wall, she nearly screamed. "What happened?" she exclaimed in terror.

"She had some sort of panic attack." Kaiba explained. "I managed to calm her down, but she fell asleep."

"So you just leave her there?" Sophie snapped.

"What else was I supposed to do?" he retorted angrily. He whirled and headed for the door. Before Sophie could say anything, he was gone. She just sighed and looked at Sonja. "Dang." She muttered. "He could have at least helped me get her upstairs."

A/N: Panic attacks suck. Big time. I kind of feel bad for having to give one to Sonja. She probably hates me right now. -_-;


	33. Muggs Vs The State Part 1

A/N: Okay, here's the next chapter. Now, I spent a lot of time researching court cases and doing my best to get it right. So if any of you out there know someone who's a lawyer or you're an attorney yourself and you notice something not right, please be nice. I did the best I could and I'll be willing to make any changes if they don't seem quite right. Oh, and there's some cute fluff here.

_Muggs vs. The State _Part 1

Before she knew it, it was time. She was still weak, but testifying at a case that might in fact win her freedom back shouldn't take too much energy.

Boy, was she ever wrong.

On the day of the trial, Sonja was forced to take some medicine that would keep her anxiety levels down so she wouldn't be having an attack in the middle of the procedure.

She and Sophie would both be testifying as key witnesses against Allan. As an added factor, she, Sophie, the jury, the attorneys and even Kaiba and Mokuba would have to all stay across town closer to the courthouse and away from any goons that Allan might send out to silence Sonja. It was a hotel with firm enough security that Sonja could rest and not have to worry about Allan or what might happen.

The day before the trial, she and Sophie packed a few things in an overnight bag and Robinson escorted them to the hotel. The witnesses would be staying on the fifth floor. The attorneys and court officials either stayed at home or on the fourth floor and the jury had a floor all to themselves to stories up for secrecy.

Obviously, it was a big case. Kaiba had already gotten himself and Mokuba past the reporters milling around outside. Like Sonja and Sophie, they were to stay on the fifth floor, kept under guard by plainclothes officers hanging around. Kaiba stood by the window, watching as Robinson arrived with Sonja and Sophie, the key witnesses. Even from this distance, he could tell that Sonja didn't look too good. He'd been told recently by Robinson that Allan was an even bigger influence on the illegal narcotics industry than they'd originally presumed. Even Sonja hadn't known how immense his empire had grown in the past year alone. And now that he, the lord of this ring, was finally in custody, the whole nation wanted to know what would happen to him and the girl he'd abused and taken advantage of throughout parts of her life. Not only was his reputation as a drug lord involved, there was also his attempted murder and whatever else Sonja would reveal about him during the trial. Basically, Robinson has summarized, Allan's days as a free man were about to come to an end, provided they won the case.

For further safety measures, Kaiba had arranged it so he and his brother had been placed in an adjoining room to Sonja and Sophie's. This way, if anything happened, they could be alerted almost instantly.

The sound of a door slamming on the other side of the wall told him they'd gotten inside. He left his room and knocked on the door next to it. Robinson answered and nodded for him to come in.

Sophie was staring out the window at the reporters. Sonja had set their case down on the bed and was staring at it, but not unpacking it.

"We're going to have a bit of trouble getting them to the courthouse." Robinson said uncomfortably. Sophie whirled and scowled. "I lost the mate to my favorite earring." She pouted, turning to her empty piercing could be seen. "Those dumb reporters are blocking the whole entrance."

As soon as this was said, Mokuba and Roland appeared at the door and Roland slammed it shut. "It's a riot, out there!" he exclaimed. "This Muggs character is certainly popular."

"More so than I thought." Sonja mumbled. Kaiba glanced at her, but said nothing.

"What do you mean, by that, sis?" Sophie asked.

"When Allan had us, he was already more powerful than he'd been when dad took the information to the police and set our hellish lives in motion."

"You aren't blaming dad, are you?"

"No." Sonja answered. "I'm forever blaming Allan."

She sat down beside her suitcase and stared out the window. Sophie sighed.

"I'm going to sneak downstairs to get a sandwich from those vending machines. Do you want anything, Sonja?"

"No, I'm good." Sonja replied.

"I'll go, too, Sophie." Mokuba said. " Better to face danger in pairs." He added with an air of sarcasm.

As they were leaving, Kaiba nodded to Roland. "I think you'd better accompany them." He warned. "I need to talk to Sonja and besides, I don't trust the security here not to let one of those weasels in the hotel."

"I understand." Roland said. He turned and went out after Sophie and Mokuba. Kaiba went over to the window and looked out. "They're still there." He grumbled.

"Of course they'll still be there." Sonja said. "Allan, the biggest problem in the narcotics industry, is finally caught. The news is always up for scandals, which is why Sophie and I are here. We're just what the tabloids want."

Kaiba would have argued that, if he didn't know that it was true.

He turned back to the window. "The trial begins tomorrow morning." He said. "You should rest."

Sonja shook her head slowly. "No. I think I'll read for a bit. I brought a book with me."

He would have argued to that, as well, but something told him he was better off leaving it alone. She'd rest when she felt like it.

As he made to leave, her glanced back at her, holding some thick book open in her lap and staring down at the pages. It was obvious that she wasn't reading and that she wanted him to leave her alone.

"I've said this before." He said. "You're a lot of things, Sonja, and subtle is not one of them. Just tell me, next time."

It was kind of funny, in a way. Sonja sighed heavily. "Sure." She mumbled. He turned and left. Sonja waited until she was sure he was gone and then put away the novel she'd been pretending to read. She pulled her brown scrapbook out from beneath the layers of hers and Sophie's various clothing and opened it. She flipped to the picture of her entire family, even Sam and her parents. She gently brushed her fingers over the glassy surface of the picture. "Words can't describe how much I miss you guys." She said to her parents' faces. She knew they probably weren't even alive, anymore. The fact that the last time she saw her mother was the night she was forced to run away was something she despised. Just remembering this and looking at the picture of her dead brother and her parents strengthened her resolve to win the case. Allan had ruined her life and he was attempting to do so again. If he won, he'd come after her and she didn't even want to think about what he'd do to her. And she knew that if that were the case, the only other chance they'd have to put him in jail for good was if he were tried for murder—_her_ murder. After all, that's what it seemed to come to.

She gently closed the book and got up, going over to the window. She shut the curtains, filling the room with darkness save for the little strips of light coming through. She sat back down, took her shoes off and then climbed under the covers, trying to get used to the scent of flowery soap that the hotel obviously used. She pulled the covers over her head and tried to escape from the situation, if only for a little while.

By the time Sophie came back, Sonja was sound asleep.

//ooo//

The following day, police escorts took Sonja and Sophie to the courthouse in secret. It was vital that they remain protected while Domino police rounded up the rest of Allan's gang just in case. Because Sonja would be the one to present the testimony that would put him behind bars, her safety was priority.

Sonja had learned from Kaiba that a different judge had looked over the evidence from the preliminary hearing and was going to preside over this case, today. According to what he'd already known, this man was supposed to be one of the best in the justice system.

Sonja was separated from Sophie when they arrived. She was given a quick briefing by Robinson on what to expect and what to do if Allan lost it and attacked her, which, due to her situation, was likely.

"But won't he be with guards?" she'd asked.

"Yes, but during the trial, he'll be allowed out of the cuffs." She'd been told. Despite this disturbing news, Sonja swallowed and nodded.

Sonja was allowed to go and sit down at the table with Robinson. Sophie, Mokuba and Kaiba remained directly behind them. Right now, Allan was being accused of attempted murder and assault and like Sonja, Kaiba was also a key witness, having seen the whole thing several weeks ago.

Sonja heard it as Allan was led in, but didn't look up at him. Instead, she sat up straight and scowled, determined not to let him see how scared she was. Once she was sure she showed no signs of fear did she dare to look over at him. He was sitting with his elbows folded on the table, scowling at the opposite wall. When he noticed her looking over, he grinned sadistically.

Robinson noticed. "He's pretty certain he'll win this case." He said. He looked at Sonja. "Just remember, don't let him rattle you. Your confidence here is what may win this for us."

Sonja nodded.

The courtroom slowly filled with people and Sonja's tension grew more and more extreme.

After awhile, the bailiff stood up as the door opened.

"All rise, the honorable Judge Manson." He announced. Everyone stood up.

"You may sit." Judge Manson said as he sat down. He picked up the files on the case and cleared his throat. The typist to his right waited at the ready.

"The court is now in session. The trial of Allan Muggson secondary misdemeanor of assault and attempted murder. Will the jury please note that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty or otherwise by the evidence provided in this trial. You are to keep that notion until you are excused to deliberate the information. Understood?"

Most everyone sitting in the jury nodded. Sonja studied them. They seemed like an honest group. But they seemed to have nothing whatsoever in common. Would they be able to actually come up with a fair decision? It was hard to believe that hers and Sophie's lives almost literally rested in their hands.

The case had begun. It was time for the opening statements.

Robinson had explained to Sonja that he, of the prosecution would begin with his witnesses and then Lestor, Allan's lawyer would present his own argument.

Robinson stood up and made his way onto the floor. Sonja could tell he looked confident. He turned to the judge. "I'd like to call up my first witness." He said.

"Proceed." Judge Manson said. Robinson turned to everyone. "I'd like to call my client, Sonja Gavens to the stand."

Sonja swallowed and pushed her chair back, standing up shakily. She looked at her sister who gave her a thumbs' up. She went over the witness stand and sat down, visibly anxious. Robinson gave her a friendly smile. "If you're nervous, just focus on me, okay?" he said quietly. Sonja nodded. Robinson cleared his throat. "Now," he began. "Ms. Gavens, how are you affiliated with Mr. Muggs?"

Sonja paused a second to gather her thoughts, then looked up. "He was originally a friend of my dad's from college." She said.

"And how did you come to meet him?" Robinson asked patiently.

"I suppose it's more of a matter of chance." Sonja explained. "Chained events lead up to my meeting him."

"Such as?"

"Well, I ran away with my little sister after our home was broken into. My sister got real sick and I had to find help. By sheer dumb luck, we ended up at his house."

"Describe what you mean when you said you ran away." Robinson probed.

"Pardon?" Sonja asked, not really understanding.

"Let me rephrase. Did Mr. Muggs have anything to do with your running away?"

"I figured out later on that he did." Sonja answered. "I had no idea who he really was at the time of it, though."

"And how was his behavior toward you when you arrived at his house?"

"Warm and kind of friendly, at first. He took my sister to the hospital and let us stay at his house."

"What do you mean 'at first'?"

"After awhile, he started to change toward us. He asked me to come and talk to him about two months after we got there. He said he had some work for me to do. I agreed to help him, but it turned out that his work was selling drugs to various dealers all over the city."

"And you participated?" Robinson asked, tilting his head.

"Only because he threatened to take Sophie away." Sonja muttered. "He forced me into this horrendous outfit and made me take a case of cocaine or whatever else he had available into the streets with the orders of not to return until it was all sold. He also gave me another instruction to offer to his clientele." She said quietly.

"And what instruction was that?"

Sonja hesitated and Kaiba understood why. Her sister was in the room and she knew that Sophie didn't know about this. He glanced at the little girl, watching fearfully. Sonja sighed and continued.

"He told me that if his customers didn't like the contents I was selling, they could have me instead, for the same price." She said, wincing.

"Objection!" Lestor exclaimed. "There is no legitimate proof that this statement is true."

Robinson turned to Lestor calmly. "On the contrary, we do have evidence of this statement, prepared." He said. They both turned to the judge.

"Objection overruled." He said. "Continue."

"Thank you, your Honor." Robinson said with a nod. He turned to Sonja.

"Did this particular impromptu instruction ever actually happen, Sonja?"

Sonja bowed her head. She mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to speak up, Sonja." Robinson said. Sonja kept her head bowed. "Yes." She admitted. A few murmurs went up throughout the room.

Sophie made a small noise of disbelief. "She never told me this." She whispered. Kaiba shook his head and looked back up at Sonja.

"How many times did this happen?" Robinson asked.

Sonja didn't respond at first. "About five." She said at last. Several people started shouting various remarks and Judge Manson banged his gavel for silence.

"Order!" he yelled over the din. "Order! Robinson, is there a particular direction in this interrogation?" he asked.

"Yes, your Honor, there is." Robinson replied calmly.

"Well then, get to it!"

"Of course, your Honor." Robinson said. He turned back to Sonja. "Aside from his instructions, did Mr. Muggs, himself, ever take advantage of you?"

"He tried." Sonja said. "The night before Sophie and I ran off again, he tried to. But Sophie knocked him out with something and we escaped to the airport."

"How did you afford a plane ticket?"

Sonja scowled and it was clear she took real pleasure in what she was about to say next. "Whenever Allan sent me out, he was always sure I was too scared of him to fight back. This is why he never bothered to count the money I made off the drugs I was forced to sell. I always took a couple hundred out of the total and saved it until I'd gotten a small fortune, enough to afford a plane ticket for each of us." She said smugly.

Kaiba watched Allan's face grow redder and angrier until finally—

"_What!_ Why you little bitch!" he shrieked, struggling against the officer sitting next to him. "I'll kill you for stealing from me! I'll tear your throat out!"

By now, the entire courtroom was in an uproar again, including Sophie screaming at Allan for daring to insult her sister like that.

"Order!" Judge Manson yelled angrily. "Mr. Muggs, one more outburst like that and I'll have you removed from the courtroom."

Allan continued to glower at Sonja before finally sitting back down, folding his arms and grinding his teeth.

Now Sonja _really_ had to win. If she didn't, Allan really _would_ kill her.

Judge Manson sighed wearily. "Mr. Robinson, is that all?"

"That is all, your Honor." Robinson concluded. The judge turned to Lestor. "Do you have any questions for the prosecution?" he asked.

"Yes, your Honor." Lestor said, getting up. He moved over to stand in front of Sonja.

"I only have a few questions." He said tartly. "Chance in itself is an unreliable and crazy thing in this world. How exactly was your luck so dumb that you just happened to arrive at my client's house?"

Sonja thought for a minute. "I don't really know. I didn't even know what Allan looked like before then. Like I said, it was just bad luck."

"How can you be absolutely certain that my client was responsible for the break-in at your home?"

"I couldn't at the time. I was still a kid."

"Was it my client, himself, who did the breaking in?"

"No, I don't think so. I think it was just his flunkies."

"But couldn't they have been anybody's henchmen? I mean, homes get broken into every day."

Sonja scowled. "Well, since the break in involved the flunkies' orders to capture me, kill Sophie and plant drugs in my home to get my parents arrested, I highly doubt it was a 'chance event', sir." She snapped.

Lestor appeared uncomfortable for a second, but immediately regained his composure. "I have no further questions." He announced.

"You may sit down." The judge told Sonja.

Sonja sighed in relief and got up, going back to sit down at the table. Sophie just watched her sadly. "Sonja," she whispered, "How come you never told me?"

Sonja glanced back sadly. "I didn't want to upset you." She said.

"I'd like to call my next witness." Robinson declared. "Dr. Herald Schwartz, the surgeon who operated on Ms. Gavens after her assault by Mr. Muggs."

He faced the front of the room as a man stood up and made his way over. He sat down at the witness stand and cleared his throat.

"Now, Mr. Schwartz," Robinson began. "During the surgery, it was mentioned you discovered several past injuries on the person of Ms. Gavens. Is this correct?"

"Yes." Schwartz confirmed. "I detected an anomaly in the pelvic region by accident and was concerned. Upon X-raying the area, I discovered that the bone had been cracked in two places and never quite healed. I'm afraid I had no choice but to pin the bone correctly, otherwise, the patient would have experienced severe problems later on in life from things she didn't even know about."

"Were the pelvic anomalies the only abnormalities you discovered?"

"No, not by far." He said gravely. He looked at Sonja. "And I do apologize for my form of conduct during the operation but the various problems I discovered would have left her greatly handicapped in the near future. On a hunch, we took further X-rays and found an improperly healed fracture in her arm, a couple of cracked ribs and internal bruising. It looked as though she'd been beaten with a baseball bat."

"I was informed you have some confirming evidence on the forced 'instructions' Ms. Gavens mentioned."

Schwartz nodded. "Yes, I do." He said. He pulled a manila envelope out and handed it to Robinson to give to the judge. "One of the nurses provided an examination afterwards when she was placed in ICU and discovered some rather disturbing evidence."

Sonja grimaced and plunked her head down on the table.

"Describe the evidence." Robinson said as the judge studied the files.

"Well, from what the nurse found, it looked as though she'd been heavily abused in the past. The nurse said she'd definitely been raped several times at one point or another."

The judge handed back the folder to Robinson for the jury to look over later.

Robinson nodded. "That is all, Mr. Schwartz. I have no more questions, Your Honor." He said to Judge Manson. The judge turned to Lestor. "Do you have any questions for Mr. Schwartz?" he asked.

Lestor stood up and faced the doctor. "How long have you been in practice?" he asked.

"I'd say a little over a decade."

"And you're quite experienced in your field?"

"Yes, if I do say so."

"So then, you're able to recognize signs of, perhaps, family abuse?"

Sonja hissed in anger. "Why that creep." She growled. Robinson grabbed her arm to steady her. "Stay calm." He said. "If this gets out of hand, I'll raise an objection."

"Family abuse?" Doctor Schwartz said in confusion. "Are you mentioning the injuries we discovered?"

"Yes. Broken bones, bruises, signs of rape. The typical signs for a domestic abuse scenario, wouldn't you agree?"

"Um, well yes, they are common signs in children and teenage girls, but I had no records available on her so I can't be sure."

Sonja squeezed her eyes shut. Those injuries were the result of pounding out a meager existence in the streets. How dare he lie that her family possibly abused her?

"No records." Lestor repeated. "Why is that?"

"She'd mentioned she'd come here from Japan. I suppose her hospital records just haven't transferred, yet."

"Or perhaps she left them behind so no one would find out. Is that possible, doctor?"

"Yes, I suppose. But I seriously doubt that's the case."

Lestor nodded. "I have no further questions, your Honor." He said, sitting down.

"Very good." The judge said. "We'll take a thirty-minute recess before we begin with the Prosecution."

He hammered his gavel down and everyone began to stand up.

Sonja got up and bolted into the aisle, pushing past everyone in her hurry to get outside.

"Sonja!" Sophie cried.

"Stay here," Kaiba told her. "I'll go after her."

Sonja ducked past the reporters and actually elbowed one in the stomach when he tried to stop her for an interview. She hurried out the door as it was beginning to rain and took off down the street.

Kaiba arrived outside just in time to see her disappear around the corner. He sighed and went after her, knowing she wasn't going to get very far.

As he predicted, he found her a block away sitting on the steps of some building, hunched over and clearly crying. He stood off a few feet, unsure of how to approach her.

Finally, he went over and sat down beside her. It was pouring rain pretty hard now, but he paid it no mind. "Sonja?" he said cautiously.

She sighed heavily. "_What?" _she mumbled.

"I suppose it would be a moot point to ask if you're all right." He said.

"Well put, genius." She growled sarcastically. He was suddenly reminded of when they'd first met a few months ago. He figured that he snappy attitude always would.

"Sonja, you need to come back." He said.

She shook her head.

"No." she said. "I can't go back. I can't take anymore of that!"

"I don't blame you." He remarked. "But there's only the Prosecution's cross reference and then the final statements. After that, it's half over."

She looked up, eyes red. "I just can't. I've been trying since I left to be stronger for Sophie and I'm sick of it. I'm sick of having to wake up every day knowing I'm not allowed to cry. I'm sick of going through every day with a fake smile. I'm sick of going to bed knowing I have to do the same thing again the next day. I want it to be over! For fourteen years I've put up with it, now! I've gone through this whole stupid life all alone and I'm just tired of it."

She started to cry again. Kaiba placed his hand on her shoulder. "Sonja, I'd like to tell you something." He said. " You aren't alone. Not anymore."

"What do you mean?" she mumbled. She raised her head again, staring at a river of rainwater drifting along the street.

"I'm with you." He said. "It took a little while, but I realize that, now. And believe me, Sonja, you're strong. I've never met anyone like you, nobody totally sane, anyway."

Sonja chuckled a little. "Trust me, Seto, I'm by no means sane." She said wryly.

"As I was saying, Sonja," he said, his warm demeanor vanishing all of a sudden, "There're only a few more days left for the trial and we'll know what's the become of Allan."

Sonja looked down. "Can I ask you something?" she said.

"What?"

She appeared uncomfortable for a minute.

"Can I trust you?" she asked finally.

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Everyone except for Sophie has abandoned me when I needed them most." Sonja explained. "If things get too stressful, are you going to abandon me, too?" she asked grimly.

Kaiba sighed irritably. "Sonja, if I was going to abandon you, I never would have gotten involved with you and this whole ridiculous thing we're in." he said. Sonja looked away. "I guess that's a yes, then?" she said with a small smile. Kaiba blinked and then sighed. "Yes." He replied.

He looked up suddenly as the rain started coming down in sheets.

"You know what we are?" Sonja asked.

"What are we?" he answered, going along with it.

"We're a couple of rain-drenched idiots."

He sighed again. "I'll buy that."

"Think the judge will extend the recess so we can go back to the hotel for a dry change of clothes?"

"Wouldn't hurt to ask." He said, getting to his feet. He offered her a hand and she took it, getting up as well.

//ooo//

Sonja sighed as she gazed out the hotel window at the streets below. The judge had given them permission to get dry changes of clothes and it was almost time to go back. She watched the cars speed by on the street below.

Somehow, she felt strangely calm. It was as though her fears had evaporated with the rain.

She laid out her wet clothes over a towel on the bed and left them to dry as she brushed the water from her hair.

She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She was ordinary, save for the odd hair color. Lots of people had brown eyes. Lots of people had plain faces. Lots of people had ordinary lives.

So why couldn't she?

Why had she had to spend her entire life in hiding? She was nothing special, so why'd Allan chase her so relentlessly? Why was she fighting in the courts against him just to win back her right to a normal lifestyle? If she had an ordinary life, the only extraordinary thing about it would be her friendship with Kaiba. He wasn't ordinary by any aspect. In fact, in Sonja's point of view, he was just plain weird. No, maybe eccentric was more like it. Like when she'd been in the hospital and that reporter had broken in. He'd stolen her camera and thrown it out the window. Ordinary people would have stopped to think of the consequences.

Nope. Not him.

Sonja turned away and picked up her hair tie, tying her hair up into a ponytail out of her face. She held it up in her hand. It _was_ getting rather long. She was seriously thinking of cutting it. But she wondered if she'd like herself with short hair.

"I'll think about it." She muttered.

There was a knock outside the door.

"_Sonja! Lets' go!" _

"Coming!" she shouted back. She grabbed her coat and hurried out, locking the door behind her.

"Took you long enough." Kaiba grumbled.

"Sorry." She mumbled. He glanced at her in surprise. "That's it?"

"What's it?"

"Just 'sorry'? Aren't you going to snap at me or something?"

Sonja looked away. "I'm tired." She mumbled. "I'll take a rain check, okay?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes.

A/N: So was that cute? I hope I managed to keep Kaiba in character. That's my main priority. I can't have him going OOC on everyone because then he wouldn't be Kaiba. ^_^ Anyway, please R & R!


	34. Muggs Vs The State Part 2

A/N: Ta-dah! The latest addition to the story. After this, there's only one chapter to go. Now, Kaiba might be a teensy bit OOC here, but I did my absolute best to keep him IC. Hope you like it. Kinda fluffy here.

_Muggs Vs. The State _Part 2

Back in the courtroom, it was time for the defense to present their argument. Sonja figured she couldn't have been more nervous. She knew she was safe enough, what with the guards and what Kaiba had promised her, but she sorely wished she could be at home, pretending this never happened.

Lestor, Allan's attorney, stood up and cleared his throat. Robinson leaned over to Sonja.

"He's going to present his defense for Allan." He whispered.

"But how can he defend him after he stabbed me?" she asked.

"Allan will have told him that you had the gun against him before he stabbed you. He'll claim self-defense." Robinson said grimly. Sonja could hardly believe it.

Lestor called up his first witness and Sonja's heart sank when she saw who it was. It was Mick, the kid who attacked her the night she was stabbed. Robinson noticed her discomfort.

"Relax, Sonja. Listen, if in the event the defense comes up with a plausible argument, we still have our last resort."

"And what's that?"

"Our rebuttal witness. Someone to counter Allan's argument in our favor."

"Does Lestor know about this?"

"Of course. Rule number one in law school; no surprise attacks. We may or may not have to call him up, but just be prepared if we do, okay?"

Lestor addressed Mick the same way he did everyone else.

"Mick Brighton." He began. "How do you know my client?"

Mick shrugged. "I'm fresh out of college, see? During high school, I needed help and my parents don't exactly tolerate me. I met this guy at a seminary talk they forced us to go to and he saw promise in me."

"So what did he do?"

"He offered me a job at this stable he had."

A stable?"

"Yeah, pretty run-down. He had a few aging horses; skin and bones, I tell you. I was to feed 'em, groom 'em, put 'em and bring 'em in and stuff. He paid me, gave me a place to stay away from my folks and let me go to school and stuff. But he had to sell the horses because they were getting too expensive to keep."

Sonja got a bitter taste in her mouth at the phoniness of this speech. He was totally lying. She knew for a fact that Allan never had any stable at any of his various houses.

"Did you continue to keep in contact with my client?" Lestor pried.

"Sure. He gave me odd jobs and kept me at my schooling. I'm studying to be a horse trainer."

"I see. Now, what was your typical salary for keeping his stables tidy?"

Mick thought for a moment. "Eh, about fifty a month." He said. Here, Lestor frowned, but didn't say anything.

Robinson leaned over to Sonja. "That little mistake could help." He whispered.

"How?"

"You'll see."

Lestor continued. "Now, how are you affiliated with Sonja Gavens? Have you ever seen her before?"

Mick studied Sonja. "Nope." He said.

Sonja was appalled. _That creep!_ She thought.

"So in your eyes, my client is trustworthy?" Lestor asked.

"Yeah, the next best thing to sliced bread." Mick said with a stupid grin. "I mean, the guy got me through school. He may look tough and hard, but he's got a heart o' gold, people!"

Sonja shook her head. Boy, was he milking it.

Lestor nodded to Robinson and turned to sit down. Robinson stood up to cross-reference Mick.

"Hello, Mr. Brighton." He said. "Now, I only have a couple of questions. When you said you worked in the stables belonging to Mr. Muggs, you mentioned you were paid about fifty a month, is that correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now, this is slightly confusing, since fifty dollars, whether in Japanese or in American currency, is a very small amount these days for a kid practically on his own in high school. How did you afford books, tuition and necessities?"

Mick faltered a minute. "Uh, Allan paid for those for me." He said quickly.

"Oh? Then why bother paying you to do work for him if he was going to pay for it all himself? Since you were on your own, it obviously wasn't for life skills and if you're such a big horse lover, you'd probably vouch to do it for free, is that right?"

Mick blinked. "Uh, yeah. Sure."

"Then why didn't Mr. Muggs pay you more to take care of his horses?"

Mick seemed to be searching frantically for an answer. Finally he sighed. "I don't know why he didn't pay me more." He said irritably.

Robinson turned away. "I have no further questions." He said.

"You may sit down." The judge said to Mick. Mick took his seat, ignoring angry glares from Allan as he did.

Lestor stood up again. "I'd like to call my client to the stand." He said.

Allan sauntered to the stand, radiating confidence. He threw a smug look at Sonja as he took a seat and swore in.

"Now, Mr. Muggs," Lestor began. "Ms. Gavens mentioned that you were friends with her father when you were in college. Is this true?"

Allan chuckled. "Ol' Damon." He said. "Yup, that's true."

"Then you must have known Sonja herself, for a long time." Lestor said.

"Oh yeah, I was there when the little tyke was walking and talking for the first time. Cute little thing, she was, too."

"Lets' stay on topic, Mr. Muggs." Lestor said firmly. "Now, exactly how did you react when you found the sisters on your doorstep out of the blue one day?"

"I was shocked. I'd heard that something awful had happened to their parents and I'd spent weeks trying to get a hold of them. I was worried sick about the little girls. So when they showed up at my door, I took 'em in."

"Apparently, Sonja stole some money from you in order to buy plane tickets and run away, yet again."

Allan snorted. "Yeah. Well over two grand. That's why I came looking for them. I wanted to know what they'd done with my money."

"Did you intend to harm them at all once you found them?"

"Of course not. I just hated being lied to and stolen from. I would have forgiven the whole stupid thing. I went looking for Sonja and when I found her, I was trying to ask where the money was. Now, I know this is against the law, but I had a firearm on me for protection. She got it away from me and threatened me with it. I didn't want to hurt her, I was only defending myself, honest."

Lestor nodded. "No further questions, your Honor." He said.

Robinson stood up and approached Allan. "Mr. Muggs," he began. "You mentioned that you'd gone looking for Sonja in order to get the money back. Tell me, if you knew they took it and you were going to forgive them, why did you go after them?"

"Why, to bring them back."

"And if you truly meant no harm toward Sonja, why then did you stab her six times, putting her in the hospital for three weeks and nearly killing her?"

"I'm telling you, she shot at me."

Robinson reached into his folder and pulled out a picture of a gun. He showed it to the judge who approved in and then handed it to Allan.

"Is this your gun?" Robinson asked.

"Yep. That's it."

"This is the gun Sonja shot at you with?"

"That's it."

Robinson put the picture away. "I have one more piece of evidence to present to the court, your Honor." He said to the judge.

"Proceed."

A portable television set was rolled in front of the court and Robinson moved to stand next to it. "I have with me, courtesy of Kaiba Corporation, the security tapes of the night of my client's attack."

He pushed the tape into the VCR and pressed PLAY. A grainy, black and white image appeared showing Kaiba entering the main lobby. After a few seconds, Allan appeared from behind the secretary's desk and stopped behind him, moving a gun into view and clearly threatening him with it. Kaiba slowly moved forward, barely off the screen with Allan still in view. Allan was waving the gun around, mouthing words, only taking his eyes away for seconds at a time.

"Now watch the screen carefully on your left-hand side." Robinson said.

Sure enough, the front door opened and Sonja appeared, moving carefully toward Allan, suddenly darting off screen as Allan turned around. She appeared again and got down onto her hands and knees, crawling slowly toward him until she was able to stand up behind him. Allan raised the gun up, aiming and Sonja suddenly pounced on him, pulled him back and reaching for the weapon. Robinson paused the tape. "Now you see, my client only grabbed for the gun in order to protect Mr. Kaiba who had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, watch the next few scenes closely."

He started the tape again. Sonja had the gun and was aiming it at Allan. He started to say something and she fired the weapon, not at Allan, but at the floor several feet away.

She looked off to the right suddenly where Kaiba supposedly was, wavered slightly and then lowered the gun, dropping it to the floor. Robinson paused the tape again. "As you saw, my client did in fact fire the gun, but not at Mr. Muggs as claimed. And she also lowered the weapon, so please consider that."

He started the tape once more. Kaiba had moved back on screen and Sonja was calling someone on a cell phone.

All of a sudden, Allan charged forward toward Kaiba and slashed at him with a knife procured from his jacket. Kaiba was stunned for a minute as Allan attacked Sonja, throwing himself bodily at her and knocking her to the floor, pinning her down as he raised the knife. He held her throat with his left hand and continuously plunged the blade into her chest until she ceased moving. He paused as Kaiba turned around and was about to stab her again when Kaiba snatched the gun off the floor and held it to Allan's head. He suddenly slammed the gun against his head, knocking him unconscious and then moving to check on Sonja. This is where Robinson stopped the tape for the last time, shutting the set off.

"So, Mr. Muggs." Robinson said. "Are you willing to reiterate on your claim of self-defense?"

Allan was seething, but remained slightly calm. "Yes." He gritted out. Robinson turned away. "I have no further questions, your Honor."

He sat down beside Sonja, smiling at her discreetly. Sonja seemed hopeful and turned to look at her friend sitting behind her. He was staring at the clock, oblivious.

The judge cleared his throat. "Will the attorneys now present their closing statements?"

Robinson stood up. He folded his hands behind his back and sighed, facing the jury. "Now, I know some of you might be thinking. 'Is she really innocent? Is she really telling the truth?' Well, please, let me assure you, that she is. My client has been the unfortunate victim of the modern day underworld of drugs, forced prostitution and violence at an early age and yet she's spoken not a word of it to anyone for almost fourteen years. Can any of you imagine going that long without talking to anyone? Can you imagine the aftereffects of such silence?"

He paused to let that sink in.

"I'm sure none of you can." He said gently. "It's all right, you don't have to. You've all had the privilege of living happy, peaceful childhoods, adolescents and adulthoods. You can't imagine that kind of life because you were fortunate. Think about how you saw my client today. If you noticed the look in her eyes, what do you think it was? I'll tell you. It was the look of an old woman on the very edge of her life. This girl is only eighteen and yet she's almost an elderly adult, never experiencing the life a teenage girl should be able to lead. She can never get it back. She can never have a second chance, to try to stop what happened before. She has to live each and every day with these memories and these scars, forced to let them haunt her day in and day out."

He paused again, facing away from the jury. "I'm sure some of you have daughters at home. Well, obviously you love them more than anything in the world. Like them, Sonja is also someone's daughter and someone's loving, caring and quiet sister. She has nearly nothing now and what she does have, she's worked all by herself to get. As I said, she's told no one of this for years and now that she finally has a chance at total freedom, it falls into the hands of you people from all over. You've never seen her, you've never seen each other and yet, you all share the same thing; you want to make the right decision. Sonja, despite her hardships, has put her trust into you to make that right decision. And now, from here on out, I leave it to you to decide."

He turned and sat back down. Sonja watched fearfully as Lestor stood up.

"Fellow human beings of the jury," he began. " Mr. Robinson presents a compelling and moving statement. But he's been in this practice for years. His job is to fool you into acquitting the wrong person. My client Mr. Muggs was simply entangled in a web of events too complicated for any human to solve alone. Ms. Gavens had obviously been living in the streets for quite some time, hiding the fact that she abandoned her family. Mr. Muggs took her in, unaware that she had grown clever. He provided her with a place to live, food and warmth. And yet, despite all of this kindness toward her, she rejected it and stole from him, lied to him and ran away yet again, fleeing to American soil where she wouldn't be questioned. Effectively burying her past, she thought she'd escaped. But all Mr. Muggs wanted was confirmation, so he simply wanted to find her. Is that so wrong? Is it such a crime to seek the truth?"

He paused a moment, eyeing each member of the jury in turn.

"There is no wrong in searching for the correct answer. And when you've been done wrong like my client, you go searching for the correct justice you seek. Isn't that right? It's only human nature to seek out justice for wrongs done to you. Such is to be said for my client. He was robbed, and he wanted nothing more than to seek the truth from Ms. Gavens. As Mr. Robinson stated, your duty, obligation and desire in this courtroom is to seek justice where it lies waiting and deliver it to the one worthy of its stinging blow. I stand before you now, saying with full honesty that my client is undeserving of such a hard strike."

He nodded respectfully and returned to his seat.

The judge cleared his throat. "Now that the closing statements have been said, the jury will now retreat to decide the verdict."

Lestor stood up. "Your honor, I'd like to request a directed verdict." He said.

"Overruled." The judge said. "This court is dismissed until further notice."

He rammed his gavel down and stood up. The courtroom stood up as he left and then everyone started to move around.

Sophie, sobbing, leapt over the wall dividing them and threw herself into her sister's arms.

Sonja hugged her tightly as Allan was led away by officers until the jury decided on a verdict. Sonja knew this part of the case was finally over, but there was still the jury's verdict to contend with. If it came up not guilty, Allan would be set free and she'd be in grave danger. If it came up guilty, he could get sixty to life, Robinson had said.

Sonja wanted to talk to Robinson, but he told her that the reporters outside were even worse today and they'd have to go straight back to the hotel immediately.

Sonja was strangely calm with this. Going back to the hotel actually sounded like heaven compared to this.

She was so drained, she didn't even remember how they got there in the end.

//ooo//

As predicted, the reporters were even worse. Sonja couldn't even look out her window without one of them spotting her. She ended up confined in her room with only a novel she'd read twice already. Needless to say, she was getting very bored.

Sophie had discovered a game room on the first floor, far enough away from the door that she wouldn't be bothered by anyone. As it turned out, she was even better at games than Mokuba and it seemed that Mokuba wasn't about to let that one go. They were in constant competition.

Sonja spent most of her time alone, now. It had been a day since the case ended and the jury was still deliberating.

Sonja sat down on the bed, tugging on strands of her hair and staring into space. She wanted some soda or something, but didn't dare go down into the lobby. Besides, tap water would suffice. She got up and went into the bathroom, turning on the faucet and letting it get as cold as possible. But suddenly, she didn't feel thirsty anymore, shut the faucet off and went back into the other room.

She sat down on the bed with a sigh, feeling rather depressed. She missed her shop and just wanted this whole thing to be over with.

She glanced at the digital clock on the table beside the window. It was going to be dark soon. She supposed she'd go to sleep and hope this nightmare was going to end, soon.

As she got up to close the curtains, she heard someone at the door. Curious, she went over and cautiously opened it, keeping the chain on. "Hello?"

"Sonja," Kaiba said quietly. "Come on, it's safe to come out."

She undid the chain and opened the door a little more. "What's going on?"

"Sophie told you've been shut up in here for hours. You're coming with me for a little while."

He turned away.

"Wait," Sonja exclaimed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just hurry up." He grumbled. Sonja sighed irritably and shut the door, locking it with her room card.

As she followed him, she kept an eye out for anyone suspicious-looking.

"Where are we going, exactly?"

"Outside."

Sonja blinked. "How? I actually saw some people in sleeping bags out front. How are we going to get past them?"

He smirked and she knew he was up to something.

This didn't seem promising.

//ooo//

As it turns out, it seemed he'd discovered a broken emergency exit door near the back of the building. When he opened it, the alarm didn't sound and Sonja could see that it led to a back alleyway.

He shut the door carefully behind them and motioned for her to follow him.

"We have to be quiet." He muttered. "This is only a few meters away from the front of the building and we'll have about five minutes to use on getting away from here."

"You have way too much free time on your hands." Sonja grumbled.

"Normally, I don't. But I'm sure you didn't know that I get bored pretty easily." He said wryly.

"Join the club." Sonja mumbled.

At the street, Kaiba glanced out. There was no one in sight.

"Lets' go."

It was already night and the streetlamps were just coming on.

"Where are we going?" she asked again.

"I'll tell you…if you can keep a secret." Kaiba said.

"Sure."

But he didn't answer so she let it go, figuring he'd probably tell her after awhile.

About ten minutes later, she found out. By now, they'd reached the slum part of town, about five miles from her shop and a quarter of a mile from the hotel. The buildings here were run down and decrepit and stray cats appeared here and there, scavenging through the trash cans for food.

"Why'd you bring us here?" she asked.

Again, he didn't answer. But this time, he just glanced at her and motioned to the left. When she turned, she could see an old wooden port, probably abandoned.

"This used to be the Domino fishing docks." Kaiba explained. "Until the foundations started to give out and the city decided it would be cheaper to build a new one across town than to repair this one. Most of the people in the city don't even remember this is here. For one reason or another, they left it standing."

He approached the old wooden railing overlooking where some of the dock used to be. There was a small strip of sand below and Sonja could see a small crowd of people down there, lighting candles on little paper boats and setting them adrift in the water. From the light of the candles, she could see the water's filthy greenish color.

"It's polluted." She murmured. Kaiba nodded.

"Another reason why these docks were abandoned. The fish started to die out here and business was bad."

Sonja watched a small group of children below.

"Who are those people?" she asked.

"The dregs of the city." He said. "They're homeless families, vagrant runaways and orphans who avoided the child welfare."

"And they gather here for these paper boats?"

Kaiba nodded again. "Once a month." He replied.

Something occurred to Sonja, then. "Wait a second, how do you know so much about them? And how do _you_ know where this place is?"

Kaiba looked away, for the first time, appearing uncomfortable. "This is what I wanted to keep secret, Sonja." He said quietly.

Before he could continue, there was a sound of small footsteps coming up the rotting wooden staircase. Sonja turned to see a small girl dressed in an oversized raincoat and pigtails approaching them cautiously. She held up a poorly folded paper boat with a small, stubby candle taped in the center.

"Hi." She said. "I'm not allowed to use matches. Can you help me?"

She held up a single match and smiled.

To Sonja's shock, Kaiba carefully took the paper boat and match from the little girl and set the boat down on the railing. He struck the match against the dry wood and touched the flame to the candle before waving it out and handing the boat back to the little girl.

"Thanks a ton, mister!" she exclaimed, turning and hurrying back down to the beach to join the other kids. She set the boat into the water and gave it a push. As it began to drift away, she turned back and waved.

Sonja could watch, speechless. She glanced at Kaiba who was leaning on the railing, watching the people below.

"I used to come here a lot." He said. " When I first took over Kaiba Corp, I had no idea what running a company like that was really like. Within the first week, I was exhausted and couldn't take it. But I didn't dare show how stressed I was."

He paused as a car passed on the road behind them and sped off into the distance. Sonja just listened quietly.

"One night, I decided to go for a walk to try to calm my nerves. By sheer chance, I happened upon this place and it was the night of the month that these people gather for the paper boats. I…I was afraid that they'd recognize me, even though that was irrational. But they paid no attention to me. Those that did see me only thought I was just another person.

"I enjoyed that thought, knowing that I could blend in here. To them, it didn't matter who you were. Everyone comes here to just be human, if only for a little while."

He fell silent and Sonja just stared. This man standing next to her was the infamous Seto Kaiba, known for his indifference to everything and everybody except his little brother. The one with the stone heart.

But Sonja could tell that people only said that because they didn't know anything else to think about him. As she watched the little paper boats floating peacefully on the water, she realized that he was showing her a side of him that nobody, not even Mokuba knew existed. The part he'd locked away years ago for the sake of his and Mokuba's survival. For a few minutes there, she'd been able to see the real Seto Kaiba, the one who still possessed fear, and doubt and weakness, all the traits that modern day humanity shuns in favor of supposed strength.

In a way, she was honored that he'd allowed her to see this other side. But she was also scared, because she now had this secret to carry as well. She was the only one who knew what he was hiding from everybody, even his brother. From this simple talk, she'd attained something almost unattainable; his trust. And he was counting on her to keep it, whether he knew it or not.

Sonja glanced at him again. He had a rather peaceful look on his face.

They continued watching the people below.

The elderly couple seated beneath a raggedy blanket, holding hands and smiling at the children.

The young couple sitting nearby, a small girl sitting between them and watching her brother light his paper boat and set it adrift.

The orphan girl assisting the young children with her boats and ignoring the infected scar on her right eye.

All of these totally different people gathered together in one place for one reason; to celebrate. Whether it was life, death, new, old, past or future, it didn't matter.

Sonja suddenly found her anxiety slipping away, her mind at ease.

She moved closer and leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes. "I appreciate this." She said. "Thanks."

Kaiba was stunned, to say the least. But he just watched her for a second and then faced the water again. One of the people below had built a small fire on the beach and everyone was gathering around it. The soft glow was comforting.

_You'll see, Sonja, _he thought, _The verdict will come out guilty and you'll be free. Just wait a little longer. _

A/N: Well, how was it? Was it kinda cute? Kaiba was sort of IC. If it was any worse, I have no regrets because it's waaay better than the first version. R&R!!


	35. A Second Chance

A/N: Okay, I'm doing something in here that I don't think you're allowed to do, but I did it anyway. I hope you enjoy. This is the last chapter. -_-

A Second Chance

A few days later, the long awaited call finally came in.

Sonja was asleep, resting after a mild anxiety attack when Sophie burst into the room with Mokuba hot on her heels.

"It's in! It's in!" she screeched, leaping onto Sonja and crushing the air from Sonja's single working lung. Sonja bolted up, flinging her sister onto the floor with a loud thud. She sat up, gasping and glaring at Sophie.

"You know _darn _well you can't do that anymore, you blockhead!" she rasped.

"Sorry, sis, but I'm so excited! The jury reached a verdict! We're gonna see whether or not it's good tomorrow afternoon!"

Sonja blinked, still letting it register. "They…reached a verdict?" she whispered in shock.

"Yeah!" Mokuba added. "And we're all positive it's good."

He laughed suddenly. "Oh, and I have something for you."

He pulled a small bouquet of red tulips out from behind his back and handed them to her.

"They're a gift from me, Ursula and Roland." He said with a grin. Sonja took them and smiled. "Oh, thanks, Mokuba, they're beautiful." She said. "How'd you guys know I love tulips?"

Mokuba jabbed his thumb toward Sophie who shuffled her feet and giggled.

Sonja pushed the covers back and slipped her shoes on. "I'll find something to put them in so they don't die." She said.

"That's my sister; ever the florist." Sophie said.

"Hey, it's better than being obsessed with My Little Pony." Sonja jabbed playfully.

"Hey!" Sophie snapped.

"Hay is for horses, I prefer oats."

"You only say that because dad used to." Sophie grumbled, folding her arms and pouting. "Besides. I happen to like horses. Horses are pretty."

"Do you ride at all?" Mokuba asked.

"I tried, but I fell off."

"Oh."

"You'll get it someday, sis." Sonja said. "It's always difficult."

"Yeah, but you had no problem the first time you rode a horse. It's like you were born to."

"You forget, I got about a half mile away from the stable and then Cannon decided to bolt toward some brambles and toss me off right there."

Sophie started snickering. "Yeah! And it took us an hour to get you untangled, too!"

Sonja made a face as she found a small plastic cup. "This will do for now." She said. She went into the bathroom and filled it with lukewarm water, setting them in the cup and arranging them artfully. Then she put them on the stand next to the television.

" _Et Voila_!" she exclaimed dramatically.

"How long do you think they'll last, sis?" Sophie inquired.

"Probably a few weeks. I can do better for them when we get back to the shop. They'll be fine, for now."

A sharp thud at the door made them all jump. It opened and Kaiba stumbled in, slamming it behind him and putting both locks and the chain on.

"Hey, what happened, bro?" Mokuba asked. Kaiba just sighed wearily and set his laptop case down on the bed. "It's even worse." He grumbled. "They're inside the building, now."

Sonja rolled her eyes. "This is really nice." She snapped. "Can't the hotel manager tell them to get out? It's been working the past few days."

Sonja's blood froze when she heard chattering voices outside the door.

"That's the problem." Kaiba answered. "The manager's on holiday and left his son in charge. Obviously, they won't listen to him."

"How are we going to get out?" Sophie asked.

"I'm calling the police." Sonja said. "This is officially out of control."

"The trial is tomorrow afternoon, so I'd suggest you stay in here, no matter what happens." Kaiba said. "I called Robinson and it's just as bad at the detainment center they're holding Allan at."

People started to knock on the door and all four of them turned. Kaiba's eyes narrowed.

"_Excuse me! Pardon, I need to get through. Pardon me. Please, Hello?" _

A different voice appeared in the crowd outside the door and started knocking.

"That's Roland!" Mokuba exclaimed. Kaiba moved toward the door and carefully undid the locks and chain. He opened the door a crack and Roland immediately hurried in, carrying two plastic grocery bags. This left Kaiba to attempt to close the door as a particularly large person with a video camera tried to push his way in.

"Sonja! Can I just get a shot?" he called.

Sonja pulled her ponytail out and flopped her hair over her face. Then she hurried forward and threw herself against the door with such force, it dented the camera as the reporter tried to pull it back out in time.

Kaiba took this opportunity to slam the door shut while Sonja redid the locks. She leaned against the wall and sighed in relief.

Sophie started to giggle and Kaiba just stared. "Um, Sonja?" he said. "You do realize you look ridiculous, right?"

"I'm aware of that!" she yelled. She stomped over to the other side of the room and sat down against the wall with a 'humph'.

Because of the density of her hair, you couldn't see anything of her face. She might as well have been wearing a veil. She flipped it out of her face and tied it back again.

Roland set down the bags and cleared his throat awkwardly. "I was sure that because of the reporters, you girls would probably be hungry. I got some sandwiches and fruit from the deli down the street if anyone wants anything."

Sophie laughed and enveloped Roland in a tight hug. "Thanks! I'm starving!" she squealed.

"Thank you, very much." Sonja said. "We really appreciate it."

Roland quickly resumed his professional demeanor. "It's not a problem." He said gruffly.

Sophie browsed through the sack and came up with a banana and a ham and cheese sandwich. "Yummy!" she yelled. She went over by the window and sat down to eat, watching the passerby below.

"What about you, Sonja?" Mokuba asked.

"I'll eat in a few minutes."

She picked up the room phone from the receiver and dialed down to the main lobby.

"Hi," she said cheerfully. "Yes, this is Sonja Gavens…yes, I understand you're hassled and I just wanted to know if you'd mind me calling the police to thin them out…why? Oh, no reason, only that we can't even open the door right now…thanks, bye."

She hung up.

"He said that he'd rather I don't call the police because it would create bad publicity for his hotel." She growled.

"Oh, like this is any better?" Sophie asked sarcastically, gesturing toward the door. "We're trapped in our room until tomorrow."

"Well, it could be worse." Sonja ventured.

"How?" Sophie demanded.

"How what?"

"How could it be worse?"

"It couldn't. I lied."

Sophie groaned in frustration.

//ooo//

The next day, police escorts arrived at around six in the morning to take them to the courthouse. Sophie was difficult to wake up because the reporters had caused a huge ruckus outside until around one in the morning and she hadn't gotten much sleep.

Sonja, in the same state, was forced to put on a little makeup to make herself look somewhat presentable. It was only a little cover-up, but she hated it all the same.

After almost literally dragging Sophie out of bed and forcing her to take a cold bath to wake her up, she got dressed and stared at the clock until their escorts arrived.

Kaiba and Mokuba had already gone to the courthouse and would meet them there.

"It's too early, sis." Sophie groaned as she came out of the bathroom, rubbing her eyes.

"Stop that, you'll make them red." Sonja chided.

"Yes, mom." Sophie grumbled irritably. Unlike her sister, Sophie wasn't a morning person. Sonja shook her head and sighed. "They'll be here, soon, so try to be agreeable until we get there. This is a very big day, don't you remember?"

At this, Sophie woke up some more. "Oh right! Today's the day we learn what the verdict is! Allan's going to jail! Allan's going to jail!" she sang out.

"Maybe, maybe not. We won't know for sure until we get there." Sonja said firmly. "Now, get your coat on and lets' go downstairs."

Down in the lobby, they found the officers ready and waiting for them. They nodded politely to them and led them outside a plain brown car with tinted windows. Sonja swallowed and proceeded forward, getting inside and facing forward.

It was now or never.

//ooo//

The courtroom was full to bursting with people anxious to see what would happen to Allan Muggs and the girls whose lives he'd turned into a living hell.

Sonja was taken in through the back entrance as before and led into the courtroom where Robinson, Kaiba and Mokuba were waiting for them.

"Your chances look good, Sonja." Robinson whispered to her.

"I sure hope so." Sonja replied. She sat down and closed her eyes, waiting.

Sophie took a seat next to Mokuba and sat stiff as a board. Mokuba glanced at her curiously. "Um, are you okay, Sophie?"

"Mm-hmm." She said shakily. "It was so easy talking about today. But now I'm actually here. It's nerve-wracking."

Mokuba patted her shoulder. "No problem, Sophie, we're here, too." He said. He leaned in a little. "And between you and me, I'm pretty sure Seto would rather trade places with Allan than leave Sonja, now."

Sophie smiled. "Glad to hear they're finally getting along."

But when they glanced at their respective siblings, however….

"Why didn't you let us know last night you'd be meeting us here? It would have saved a lot of trouble." Sonja whispered angrily.

"I've already told you, I wasn't the one who set the schedule, Sonja."

"Oh sure, like I'll believe that." Sonja snapped under her breath.

Sophie and Mokuba exchanged glances.

"Okay, so I spoke a little too soon." Sophie said dryly.

Five minutes later, the doors opened and they turned to see Allan in the orange prison uniform, being led in by two police officers. He looked smugly over at them and Sonja didn't particularly like the look he gave her as he passed, almost like he was telling her what he'd do to her once he won. Robinson noticed.

"Pay no attention to him, Sonja. You're just giving him what he wants."

Sonja nodded nervously.

After a little while, the bailiff entered as the jury arrived and took their seats.

"All rise." The bailiff announced as the judge appeared and sat down.

"You may sit."

He picked up the papers on his desk, looked over them and then motioned to the bailiff. He muttered something to him and the bailiff nodded. The judge cleared his throat.

"We are here today to hear the verdict in the case of _Muggs Vs The State_. Allan J. Muggs has been charged with drug trafficking, assault and attempted murder."

He paused. "The jury has had four days to come up with a unanimous decision."

Sonja felt her heart pound crazily and resisted the anxiety coming on. One of the women in the jury looked over at her sympathetically and this unnerved Sonja. That kind of look could mean anything. Was she sympathetic because of what she'd seen happen to her? Or was she pitiful toward her because Allan had been acquitted?

As her breathing started to grow rapid, she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned.

Kaiba was staring at her firmly and nodded slowly. Sonja could read his expression and swallowed, turning back around.

"Will the spokesman for the jury please stand?"

A tall, middle-aged man got to his feet. The judge looked at him sternly. "Has the jury reached a verdict?" he asked.

"We have, your Honor." The man said. "We find the defendant, Allan Muggs, guilty of all charges."

Sonja suddenly felt as though a great weight were lifted from her shoulders and her airways suddenly cleared, her breathing more free.

She glanced over at Allan. The smug look had disappeared and his lawyer was trying to console him. But Allan backhanded the poor man in the face and leapt to his feet. The officers restrained him as the judge commanded for order by ramming his gavel down several times.

"I hereby sentence Allan Muggs to sixty years in prison without the possibility of parole. Case dismissed."

He rammed his gavel down once more, confirming it.

Sonja was frozen and barely noticed it as her sister jumped over the little wall separating them and enveloped her in a huge hug.

"You did it, sis! We're free! We won!" she cried.

Sonja suddenly smiled and threw her arms around Sophie, hugging her tightly and laughing.

Kaiba just watched quietly. That was when it struck him; that was the first time he'd heard Sonja laugh.

He smiled a little as Sophie tackled Robinson, thanking him profusely for his help.

They all turned as several police officers rushed over to help with Allan, who was really putting up a fuss. He'd already given one poor officer a bloody nose as he fought to get to Sonja.

"I'll get you for this, you hear me?!" he screamed. "I'll get you! I'll make your life a living hell! You'll wish you were dead when I'm through with you, you hear me, you bitch?!"

Kaiba expected Sonja to say nothing. But he was rather surprised when she scowled suddenly and gently pushed her sister aside, making her way over to him. The officers and Allan were so stunned that they froze. Sonja looked Allan straight in the eye and smiled strangely.

"I don't see how you could have made it any worse. Besides, I've been wanting to do this for years."

Without warning, she suddenly slugged him so hard that he was sent reeling back into the officers holding him.

"That's for everything you did to me, you lowlife bottom-feeder." She snapped. She whirled and stalked back over to her sister. The officers just stared. One of them whistled.

"Now that girl can punch." He said. "I mean, she's a twig."

"Well, you learn something new every day." His partner said. He looked down at Allan and winced. "Ouch. That's a broken jaw, all right. Guess we should get him to the prison infirmary."

"Should we tell 'em a girl did it?" the other one said with a smirk.

"Only if he misbehaves." Replied his partner as they hauled Allan to his feet and dragged him out of the courtroom.

Sonja smiled sheepishly at Sophie. "Sorry." She said. "Guess I overdid it."

"Nah." Sophie said. "I would have done the same thing if I were taller."

"Come on, Sophie!" Mokuba exclaimed. "Race ya outside!"

"Yeah! Loser buys the winner a pop!"

They took off and Robinson shook his head, chuckling. He looked at Sonja and smiled. "You did good, kid." He said. "These kinds of cases are stressful and you did very admirably. You should be proud."

He tilted his head at Kaiba. "And it always helps to have a good friend in the wings."

With those parting words, he left.

Kaiba looked over at Sonja.

"So," he said. "How does it feel?"

She glanced at him curiously. "How does what feel?"

"How does it feel to have your life back?"

Sonja looked away, her eyes taking on a faraway gaze. "Well, it's still sinking in," she said. "But…."

She looked back at him and then, she suddenly jumped and threw her arms around his neck. "So far, it feels great!" she exclaimed.

Kaiba, stunned at first, hesitated but slowly hugged her back. A lot had happened the past several months and knew one thing for certain; he wouldn't change a thing, now that everything was the way it was supposed to be.

Sonja pulled away as she heard her sister's voice. Sophie appeared in the doorway and waved to them. "Come on! Lets' go, already!"

She hurried off and Sonja smiled. "I guess this is it."

"What?" Kaiba asked.

"The start of our new life. And you know I couldn't have gotten anywhere without you, you are aware of that, right?"

"Don't be ridiculous." He snapped. He started toward the door.

Sonja just sighed and shook her head. "Whatever. It's all over, now." She muttered.

There was a car waiting for them outside and Sonja was the last one in. Their things had already been packed and stored in the trunk and it was a half-hour drive back to the shop. Kaiba just stared out the window while Mokuba and Sophie started a game of "Guess the Monster" with Kaiba's deck.

"Umm…," Sophie mumbled. "I guess…Rude Kaiser!"

Mokuba groaned. "How'd you know?" he grumbled.

Sonja leaned her head against the window, gradually relaxing, but not allowing herself to fall asleep. That could wait until later.

_One Year Later_

It was dark outside.

Kaiba shut down his computer and rubbed his eyes wearily. After two months of dealing with botched up orders, he was finally finished. All he had to do now was wait for the next batch of screwed up forms.

He turned and stared out the window. For some reason, something felt wrong. He felt like he was forgetting something.

He sighed and packed his computer up. He locked his desk drawers and left his office.

Even though it was dark, it was still early. He could see Halloween decoration lights going up here and there whenever he went outside. As he made his way down to the parking garage, he decided he'd visit Sonja for a little while. It had been a year since she'd won her freedom from Allan. Upon checking his file in the state prison, he discovered that due to horrendous behavior and nearly killing an inmate, he'd been moved to a heavy security detainment center two counties away. Ever since, Sonja had seemed so much happier and he saw her smile a lot more these days. He wasn't really sure why, but something about that gave him a feeling of accomplishment.

As he drove the block or so away, he kept trying to figure out what he'd forgotten about or forgotten to do. It was nagging him incessantly, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure it out.

He shut the engine off beside the curb just as Sonja was closing the shop for the day. She glanced up and waved.

"Hey." She said. "What're you doing out here?"

Something about how she said that irked him.

"I came to see how you were doing." He answered. For some reason, it came extremely easy to him to talk to her.

"Oh, thanks. Come on up for a bit. Sophie's with Mokuba at the arcade again."

He followed her up to the second floor and when he stepped inside, he was surprised at how the place had improved since she'd moved in.

"Cool, huh?" she said in reference to the powder blue and white scheme she had going on in the furniture and curtains. "I sewed the curtains myself. But I was able to get some new furniture for half-off at a clearance sale."

He hadn't actually been up there since the night Sonja was nearly killed. He'd only visited during the day when she was working during the shop. He saw she'd also replaced the carpet and she noticed.

"Yeah, we had a bit of a problem with mold so I called a fumigator and we replaced everything. Thanks to a careful budget, I've become an expert bargain hunter." She said with a smile.

"Judging from your monthly reports, I'd agree." He remarked.

"Well, sit down, already." Sonja said. "I can't be a good host if I don't notice these things."

Kaiba rolled his eyes and sat down at the kitchen table, setting his laptop case beside him on the floor. He watched as Sonja searched through drawers, apparently looking for something.

"Dang it." She grumbled. "Sophie rearranged the cabinets and I can't find anything, now."

She gave up and sat down across from him. "Oh well. I'll come across it eventually."

"What were you looking for?"

"My pocket calendar." She said. "You wouldn't happen to know the date, would you?"

He shook his head. He'd always been terrible remembering the date. It was one of his quirks.

Sonja sighed. "It's fine. Actually, I'm glad you came to visit. I needed to ask you something and I was going to ask you to come over, anyway."

"What?" he asked suspiciously.

"Have you forgotten something, as of late?" she pried.

Kaiba wasn't about to admit to anyone about the thing nagging at the back of his mind all day.

"I doubt it." He said.

"Are you sure?"

"Sonja." He growled.

"Sorry. But I was informed by a little birdie that you forgot something."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. What was she getting at? He couldn't believe how irritating she could be when she wanted to.

Sonja shook her head, smirking. "I knew it." She said. "You forgot."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I can't believe you'd forget! Jeez."

Kaiba was losing his patience. "Sonja, what are you talking about?" he snapped. Sonja smiled. "Oh, nothing." She said.

There was a loud _pop! _

Kaiba found himself frozen as a long red ribbon appeared out of nowhere and landed on the table. He looked to the right as Mokuba and Sophie jumped into view.

"Gotcha, Mr. Kaiba!" Sophie squealed.

"Happy birthday, bro!" Mokuba exclaimed. In his hand, he held some kind of cardboard ribbon cannon.

Kaiba just blinked in surprise. Was _this_ what he'd been trying to remember all day? His own birthday?

"I don't believe this." He grumbled.

"You'd better." Sonja said. "Mokuba told me you've forgotten three times in a row. So he planned a little mini surprise for you."

"I don't have time for this, Sonja. I still have work to do." He said, getting to his feet.

"Oh no, you don't." Sonja warned. She reached into her pocket and pulled something out. "You're going to stay, even I have to use force."

In her hand, she held a pair of handcuffs. Kaiba just stared in bewilderment.

"Um, Sonja, where did you get those?"

"The party store." She said casually. "Now you either willingly stay a little while and enjoy this little surprise your brother planned for you, or I handcuff you to the table and force you to stay." She said with a grin. Kaiba glowered at her, knowing full well that once she set her mind to something, there was no stopping her. He sighed in irritation and sat back down. Mokuba took a seat beside him and grinned.  
"I knew you'd be a little ticked. But you forget every year, so I just wanted to jog your memory." He said.

"Thanks." He said irritably.

Sophie dashed out of the room and reemerged seconds later with a box.

"Nothing special, just Monopoly!" she exclaimed.

Sonja took a seat again and helped to set up the board. Kaiba again tried to leave and this time, Sonja tried less bizarre methods to persuade him to stay. She talked him into just one round and that's it. He finally agreed on the grounds that if he tried to leave again, she'd be serious about the handcuffs.

The pieces were distributed, the fake money passed around and the game began.

Kaiba had to admit that it was kind of a nice change from Duel Monsters. It wasn't nearly as challenging and didn't take much concentration. Plus, it was kind of amusing watching Sophie and Mokuba argue over who bought what property first.

The game lasted two hours and it came as a shocker to everyone when Sophie unexpectedly won the game. She jumped up on her chair and tossed her cards high, whooping. "Oh yeah! I won!" she chanted.

Kaiba had placed a close second, Sonja third and Mokuba fourth. He pouted a little at Sophie's show of triumph.

"Beginner's luck." He mumbled. Sophie heard this and scowled.

"Beginner's luck, my butt! I won by pure talent." She snapped, folding her arms.

She got down off her chair, went over and made a freaky face at him. This resulted in a high speed chase around the living room.

Sonja picked up the game and put it away in its box. Then, while Mokuba and Sophie exerted their remaining energy in a rather dramatic game of hide and seek, Sonja and Kaiba just talked for a little while, discussing how their various professions were operating nowadays.

A half an hour later, Sophie had collapsed on the sofa, out cold and snoring softly. Mokuba had fallen asleep in his hiding place behind a potted plant.

Sonja chuckled. "Those two were meant to be best friends." She said, shaking her head.

" I have to agree." Kaiba replied. He looked over at Sonja. "Despite your childish threats, this has actually been rather…enjoyable."

Sonja smiled. "Sorry about the handcuffs. I sorta figured you'd try to leave, so I bought them on a hunch. It turns out I was right."

Kaiba looked at the clock on the wall. "I'll get going." He said. He went over and woke Mokuba up. Mokuba, groggy and exhausted, stumbled over to the door and leaned against the wall.

"Thanks for putting up with this." Sonja said.

"Don't expect it to happen too often." He replied. But as he turned to go, Sonja came forward suddenly, leaned up and kissed him quickly on the cheek. He froze and blinked.

" What was that for?" he asked curiously.

"Two reasons." She said, moving over to the sink and setting some plates into some water. "One, for being such a good friend. And two, happy birthday. Now, get going before he falls asleep standing up." She said, gesturing toward Mokuba.

Kaiba woke him up again and stepped outside.

"Goodnight, Sonja." He said.

"Ditto." She said cheerfully.

Kaiba closed the door and made his way down the stairs, making sure his brother didn't trip.

Mokuba climbed into the passenger seat and closed his eyes, leaning on the door. Kaiba got in the other side and turned the engine on. As he drove toward home, he allowed his mind to wander. He kept thinking back, just wondering.

He thought about what his life might be like now if he hadn't met Sonja. But it was impossible to picture.

//ooo//

Sonja put Sophie into bed in the top bunk and then climbed under the covers on the bottom bunk. Breathing in the fresh scent of the pillow, she sighed contentedly. It had been a memorable year. And she hoped that the years to follow would be just as memorable as she drifted off to sleep.

A/N: Okay, the next story will be up soon. It's called Of Promises and Perseverance. It's a guaranteed satisfier for those of you who wanted Sonja and Kaiba to get together. And, especially for your enjoyment and mainly because almost every good idea in the sequel is her doing, and the fact that she's more excited about this hookup than I am (and possibly anyone else out there), Cauryn Terenkey is going to be the co writer for the sequel. So keep your eyes peeled and enjoy when it comes out.


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